Sons of Sparda IV: Devils Never Cry
by The Night Lord
Summary: Tragedy strikes on the twins first birthday when an old foe returns from the dead. And now, eighteen years later, Dante must deal with that evil once again, who intends to unleash the power of the Saviour with some help from Dante's son, Tristan. Plz R
1. Who's a Big Boy Now, huh?

**Okay, so here it is, the fourth instalment of the Sons of Sparda series. The first few chapters will set up the story, which will take place eighteen years later. There might be a few flashbacks to the years in between, but we'll see how we go. For now, enjoy this first chapter!**

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"Who's a big boy now?" Dante grinned

His son, Tristan, smiled and kicked his feet, as Dante picked him up and headed downstairs, where Trish was in the living room, Jennifer nursing in her arms

"Man, they've gotten big," Dante said

"Well, I guess being mostly demon would play in that factor," Trish said

"I can't believe it's been a year already"

"Now we've got another seventeen years. Fun, hey?"

She finished up with Jennifer and burped her, as Dante switched the twins around, taking Jennifer away and picking up a small toy for her. The baby girl took it and shook it around, enjoying the rattling noise, before smacking her father in the head

"Ow"

"Yeah, she's a real daddy's girl," Trish smiled

"I know I'm not letting her anywhere near the weapons for the next several years"

"That's a relief"

"So, when will they start walking and talking?" Dante asked

"Should be sometime soon. Just gotta wait for that moment. At least they don't cry so much at night anymore"

"Thank God for that"

After the twins had been born, Dante and Trish were usually up for most of the nights, looking after them, resulting in the new parents being frequently tired. Celeste took over most of the cases, sometimes getting David or Nero to help her, as Vergil was usually too busy looking after Lady to help, though he did help whenever he could

"Wanna get the baby food?" Trish asked, burping Tristan

Dante pulled a face. He remembered the last time he tried giving the twins baby food. He ended up being covered from head to toe in the entire stuff, forcing Trish having to take over and annoying Dante when she was able to get them to eat it without any fuss

"Come on, I'm sure they won't throw it at you again"

"Fine, fine"

Dante sighed and headed into the kitchen, placing his daughter into the high chair, before getting a tin of baby food out of the fridge and removing the lid. He got a spoon and sat in front of Jennifer, as Trish came in with Tristan and placed him beside his twin, before getting another tin of baby food

"This should be a blast," Dante smirked

Just before he could begin, the phone rang and Dante swiftly left his chair, racing into the office to answer the phone

"Devil May Cry"

"Hey, dorkface"

Dante sighed, rolling his eyes, before sitting down and putting his feet up onto the desk

"What can I do for you, spiky?"

"Just wondering what time you want us to come around," Vergil answered

"Later tonight, obviously, duh," Dante answered, "Have you gotten thicker over the years?"

"Like you're one to talk? You were always the thickest blockhead around"

"At least I didn't have a stick rammed up my ass my whole life"

"Compared to the log that was dropped on your head"

"That was totally your fault!"

"So what?" Vergil asked nonchalantly

He broke away for a moment and Dante could hear Lady shouting something at him from in the background

"Sorry, bro, gonna have to go"

"You are so whipped!" Dante smirked, before hanging up

"Go blow yourself," Vergil said, just before Dante hung up on him

Dante just shrugged and ran a hand through his hair, messing it up, before joining Trish back in the kitchen and helping to feed the twins

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Trish answered the door, revealing Nero and a four month pregnant Kyrie

"Glad you could come," Trish said

"Yeah, it was a tough day at the Order today," Nero said, "Tackled a large Assault nest. And then we had to take on a group of Goatlings not long after"

"Well, it's been a bit quiet over here," Trish said, "Come in"

Nero and Kyrie entered the shop, as Dante came out into the living room with Tristan in his arms. Nero greeted his brother, as Kyrie handed Tristan a present. Dante set him down so he could open it, before heading upstairs and getting Jennifer. She was a little upset at being woken up early, but Dante calmed her down as he returned downstairs and sat her down beside her twin, as Kyrie gave her a present as well. Dante helped her unwrap it, revealing a large pink fluffy bunny toy, while Tristan got a train and track set

"Thanks for that," Trish said, giving the couple a hug each

"Oh it was no problem at all," said Nero

"So, know the gender of the child yet?" Dante asked

"We would rather wait until the birth before we find out," Kyrie answered

"Fair enough then," Dante said

He gave Jennifer a small kiss on her head as she played with her toy bunny, while Trish was helping Tristan set up his train set. Dante quickly joined in to help, as Trish got up and headed into the kitchen

"Coffee anyone?" she asked

"I'll have one," Nero said

"Dante?"

"I'm fine"

"Kyrie?"

"Same here"

The doorbell rang. Dante answered it to see Vergil and a heavily pregnant Lady. She was due to give birth in a few weeks time, something Dante had promised to be out of the country for. He didn't want to be in the same building as Lady when she was giving birth. It wasn't because childbirth scared him. It was Lady who scared him, especially when she had her mood swings. Luckily for him, it was Vergil who had to put up with it

"Hey, Dante, how's things?" Vergil asked

"Fine. Damn, Lady you look great," Dante said

Lady arched an eyebrow at him and gave him a glare. Dante gave her a small smile

"Come on in"

Vergil placed his hand on the small of Lady's back and guided her inside, as Trish came out with a cup of coffee in her hand and gave another cup to Nero

"Hey guys, glad you could make it," she greeted

"I can't wait to give birth," Lady said, "I can get over this. At the same time, I kinda don't. It's not gonna be fun"

"I think Vergil's the one who's gotta be more worried about it," Dante said, "It will be his hand and ears you'll be killing. Oh and also-"

"Dante," Trish warned

"Right then. Not going there"

He turned back to his son, as Vergil gave his niece and nephew a present each, while Lady handed the cards to Trish. She thanked her, before placing the cards on top of the wall unit

"Where's Celeste?" asked Vergil

"She's coming," Trish answered, "Sometime today. I think she's still over at David's"

"Where she's been for the last few days," Dante added, "She spends a lot of time over there. If not, he's over here"

"There's nothing wrong with a bit of young love," said Kyrie

All three of Sparda's sons gave her a strange look

"What?"

"Nothing," said Nero

The doorbell rang once again. This time, Trish answered it, letting in Graxtius, Leon, a pregnant Ada and two-and-a-half year old Parker Kennedy

"Hey, glad you could make it guys," Dante said

"Ah, we couldn't miss out on this," Leon said, "Well actually, Ada forced me to come along. It was either this or the dog kennel"

"Yeah, I get that every now and again," Dante smiled, before seeing Trish's glare

The smile quickly faded, as Trish put one on and turned to the Kennedys

"So, how have you been?"

"Been good," Leon answered, "Been busy"

"Yeah, we can see that," Vergil smirked

"Same can be said for you"

"All his fault," Lady said, pointing at her husband

"And how are the young ones?" Graxtius asked, sitting beside his great-grandchildren

"They've been good," Dante answered, "Hardly cry anymore. Sleep all night"

"That's good to hear"

"I'll say," said a new voice

Dante, Vergil and Lady all froze when they heard that voice. It had been at least thirteen years since they heard it and knew they shouldn't be hearing it at all. Everyone turned to face the intruder, as Dante got to his feet, a glare on his face. The person in question was leaning against the wall, twirling a small sceptre between his fingers, a large stupid grin on his face

"Miss me guys?"

"Jester," Vergil growled

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	2. Chasing After Jester

**Some questions I'll answer. To furonrace: yes I saw the video. I also have the game and have beaten it on Normal, Devil Hunter and Son of Sparda (Man, SoS is hard). As for new devil arms, I have created about five new devil arms that will appear later on. And like I said, this first couple chapters will set up the story, as it'll continue 18 years later. And as for Lucia reappearing? Hmm, don't know. I'll think about it, but maybe not. I can't really see her in here, especially in this one**

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"So, how's things going?" Jester asked, pushing off the wall

"Well, they don't involve you," Dante said, "How the hell are you still here? We killed you"

"Oh and look at you, Mary," Jester said, ignoring Dante, "Got a bun in the oven. How long before the cooking is done?"

Vergil stepped in front of Lady, a low threatening growl emitting from his throat

"What? I just wanna know when my first grandchild will be arriving"

Vergil caught Jester on the jaw with a swift right hook, throwing him across the room. Jester got back up onto his feet, fanning himself with his sceptre

"You know when you two shot me, you split me away from Arkham," Jester said, answering Dante's question, "He fell out of Hell, I stayed in it. But I was incorporeal, unable to do anything"

"He was working for Mundus," Vergil said, "Stupid idiot tried asking me to help him regain a solid form. I threatened to exorcise him to the furthest plane of Hell. He's responsible for creating all those Marionettes for Mundus"

"Yeah and they weren't all that great," Dante said, "Useless handiwork"

"Okay, so who is this guy?" Leon whispered to Nero

He shrugged

"You know what? I'm bored of this now," Dante said, "Honey, where's my guns?"

"Over on the desk, where you left them last," Trish answered

"Yeah, I agree," Jester said, "I'm bored of this as well"

He clapped his hands. Confetti exploded out of nowhere, as he lunged at Dante. The half-demon punched him in the face, dropping him instantly, before picking him up and throwing him towards his twin. Vergil did a roundhouse kick that threw Jester across the room. The clown got to his feet, a large grin on his face, as Nero got up, his Devil Bringer glowing, while Leon and Graxtius were standing in front of the women and the young twins

Nero's Devil Bringer flashed and he had Jester in his hand, before punching him through the air, grabbing him back and slamming his face into the floor. Jester teleported away from Nero, as Vergil tracked him and dropped him with a straight jab to the face. Jester's hand clutched his nose, as Vergil kicked him towards Dante, who did a small jumping front kick, knocking him down

"Really not fair," Jester said as he got up

"Really don't care," Dante replied

Jester spread his arms. Energy barriers appeared around him, blocking him from the brothers, as he teleported before Trish. She struck him with a bolt of lightning, but a large ball of energy appeared and knocked her across the room, as Jester created more balls of energy, bouncing them around the place. Leon got struck protecting Ada and Parker, as two balls hit Graxtius, knocking him back. Jester laughed and looked at the young twins, before grabbing Tristan

"No!" Dante cried

He did his Air Trick move, appearing before Jester, as an energy ball bounced in him. Jester laughed and headed for the front door, just as it opened and Celeste stepped inside with David. She saw Tristan in his arms and punched him twice in the face. Jester cried out in pain, before kicking Celeste in the chest, knocking her into David and running out the door

"Damn!" Dante cried

He headed into the office, grabbing Rebellion and his handguns

"Okay, what the hell just happened and who the hell was that guy?" Celeste asked

"Celeste, go home and grab your weapons. Meet us back here," Vergil said

"Meet you here. I'm heading out," Dante said, "I'm gonna go find Jester"

"I'll come with you," Trish said

"No. You stay here with Jennifer, okay? Please?"

"Okay"

"Do you want me to come with you?" Leon asked

"Yeah, okay, but hurry up. David, you can come if you want"

"On it"

"See you later then," Dante said, leaving the house

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The Order was empty when Jester stepped inside, a squirming Tristan in his arms

"Don't worry, little guy, it'll over be over very quickly"

He headed towards the altar, before stepping onto a circle emblem in the floor. It glowed and Jester smiled, as he stepped onto it and took the small elevator down underground. He stepped off the platform, walking straight out onto the large structure that stood over a long drop. There was an opening in the ground, like something long and thin was supposed to go into it

"So, you're intending to open a Hell Gate using my son?"

Jester turned around, seeing a surprisingly calm Dante behind him. He had his guns in his hands, fingers twitching to pull the triggers

"Well, it can only be opened by the blood of Sparda," Jester said, "Tristan seemed easier to bleed because he won't move so much"

"And what were you going to do once this Gate is open?" Dante asked, "Unleash Hell onto the world?"

"Something like that"

"You tried that thirteen years ago with Temen-ni-gru and you failed. What makes you think you'll succeed here?"

"Well, for one thing, I've got your son"

"But you don't have the key," came Vergil's voice

He appeared with Nero, Celeste, David and Leon. However, Vergil wasn't carrying Yamato on him. He had the Force Edge instead, as Nero flexed his demonic fingers

"It's at home," Vergil said, "The key to this Gate"

"And what's that?" Dante asked

"Yamato"

"Oh"

"Plus, you missed your chance to open this Gate. It only happens once every twenty years," Vergil continued, "The last chance was two years ago"

"So I have to wait another eighteen years before I can open it?" Jester asked

"Yeah, something like that," Nero answered, "Sorry if you wasted your time"

"Oh, not at all really. I can handle waiting eighteen years"

He waved his hand, creating a portal over the Hell Gate. He smiled, stepping towards the portal, as Dante raised his guns and began firing, mindful not to hit his son. Jester created a barrier to stop the bullets, as Vergil teleported next to him. He swung the Force Edge, but Jester dodged the blade and shoved him aside, as Nero attempted to grab him with the Devil Bringer. Jester knocked him off with an energy ball, before diving into the portal. Dante cried out and raced towards it, diving just as it closed and he landed heavily onto the Gate, muttering no over and over again

"Where the hell did he just go?" Celeste demanded

"I have no idea," Vergil answered, "He opened a portal. It could have been a portal to anywhere"

"Well, we gotta open that portal again and go in there"

"It's not easy. We don't know what portal it was"

"So, we head home and we find out. Come on, let's hurry on this"

Everyone left, as Vergil turned to his twin, who was still crouched over

"Don't worry, we're gonna find him. We'll get Tristan back"

Dante got to his feet, tears streaking down his face

"If we don't know where he is, how are we going to get him back?"

"We'll try," Vergil said, "We can't give up"

"I just can't believe it. I just lost my son. I lost my son. He's gone and I don't think he's coming back"

More tears started running down Dante's face. Vergil pulled him in for a hug, trying hard to soothe his brother, while trying to suppress the tears that were threatening to burst over the loss of his nephew

"He's gone, he's gone," Dante muttered, "He's not coming back. We could try, but he's gone"

"Come on," Vergil said, "We have to try"

With an arm around Dante's shoulder, Vergil helped him back to the platform

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	3. Eighteen Years Later

**Okay, so here we are, 18 years later. This is where the story will begin. Enjoy**

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The cemetery was quiet. But she knew where it was. She could smell the fear in the air. However, it was everywhere and it would hard trying to find it. Slowly, she walked amongst the graves, keeping a hand close to her gun. She was reaching the crypts where the scent was stronger. A small smile appeared on her face as she ducked around a crypt. There was nothing here, but she moved on to the next row. And the next row. On the second last row, she jumped around the corner, before crying out when she bumped into someone

"Parker, you idiot"

Parker Kennedy grinned as he held up his hands in mock surrender

"Sorry, Jen. But you know I am searching for this thing as well"

"Well then, you're a brave idiot"

"Oh come on, give me a little more credit than that"

Jennifer Sparda gave him a hard look, before drawing one of her handguns and pointing it at him. He raised an eyebrow, as Jenny shot a bullet over his shoulder and into the chest of the demon that was coming up behind him. Parker whirled around, drawing his own handgun and firing away at the piranha-faced demon, as Jenny drew Rebellion and ran towards the demon. She swung her sword, as it pushed her aside

"You know, it's not nice to hit a lady," Jenny said as she got up

"Since when were you a lady?" Parker asked

"Parker, shut up"

The demon snarled, as Jenny slashed it across the chest. It swung its long claws at her, but she ducked under them, before rising and impaling the demon through the chest. It struck her, leaving three long gashes in her back as she flew through the air. Parker unloaded his gun into the demon, before swiftly reloading as it moved towards him. He backed away, still firing, as a bolt of lightning flew out of the darkness and struck the demon in the back. It roared and turned around, as Jenny leapt over, removed Rebellion and beheaded the demon. It fell to the ground, as Jenny twitched her nose in disgust

"Smells like dead fish"

"Given the look of the demon, I'd say yeah, of course," Parker said

"You're a jerk"

"Bitch"

"Thanks. But that's more Lili than me"

"As you always say"

"Come on, let's head home"

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Jennifer arrived back home at Devil May Cry, placing Rebellion on the altar next to the other swords, before placing her handguns next to Ebony and Ivory. She headed into the living room, where her parents were watching TV. Shrugging off her red trench coat, she scooted forth and sat down in front of them

"Hey, there's my girl," Dante said, "How it go? You find the demon?"

"Found him and took him out"

"That's my girl"

Jenny smiled and looked up towards the mantelpiece. There were baby photos and a few small toys spread all over it. All reminiscence of her older twin brother, Tristan. When she was twelve, her parents had told her that she had a twin who had disappeared when they were babies. Dante had searched long and hard for Tristan for the next six years, searching through various hell dimensions, but couldn't find a single trace of him. In the end, Dante had to resign himself to the fact that Tristan was lost forever to them and made a small shine to his lost son

"Is your assignment done?" Trish asked

"Maybe. If not, I'll just ask Lili to help me"

"Yeah, her answer," Dante said, "Sword through the stomach"

"I can handle that. I'll just shoot her in the head"

"Fair enough then"

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"Hey Lili"

The girl in question turned around, her blue eyes flashing as she faced her cousin

"What's up, Jenny?"

"Not much. What are you doing this afternoon?"

"Either doing my assignment or doing training"

"Knowing you, you'll choose the training," Jenny said, rolling her eyes

Lili ran a hand through her short white hair, brushing it away from her face, leaving a few strands to hang around over her forehead

"Maybe not this time," she said, "Mom wants me to pass this subject"

"I'm sure your dad will be pleased about that"

"He'll live," Lili said with a shrug

"Hey girls"

The cousins turned around to see their younger cousin, Michael, coming towards them. He had the long sleeves rolled down to his wrists, mainly to cover up the large tribal tattoo on his right forearm. To the teachers it was a tattoo. To Michael and his cousins, it was a miniature version of his father's Devil Bringer

"What are we up to?" Michael asked

"Avoiding you," Lili answered

"Ah, come on, Liliandra"

Jenny stepped back as Lili whirled around to face her cousin

"Don't call me that," she warned, her eyes flashing red

"Fine, Lili than," Michael said, unperturbed as he ruffled up his messy white hair, "What are we up to?"

"Where's your dork of a brother?" Jenny asked

Just then, a shiny black '67 Chevrolet Impala with sparkling silver mags arrived at the school. A small smile appeared on Lili's face

"He's spent all day on that car, I can tell"

"We can all tell," Michael said, "Just looking at it's making me blind"

"See you guys later," Lili said

She walked away and got into the Impala, tossing her school bag into the back seat, as the Impala pulled away and drove off

"Enjoy school today?" Vergil asked

"Do I ever enjoy school?"

A smile tugged at Vergil's lips. His daughter was so much like him, but she could also be like her mother. He had loved her from the moment she was born, constantly watching over her, helping her learn, fixing up the small injuries she received when she fell over, watching her grow up and teaching her the ways of the sword. He had sworn to protect her, no matter what, at her birth

"I mean, come on, half the teachers are all crabby. Plus, they give us all these assignments at once and expect us to finish them all within like three days"

"Well, someone of your intellect could," Vergil said

"Yeah, if I wanted to, which I don't"

"Well, you're gonna have to, otherwise your mother will have a fit"

They pulled in at their home, before getting out of the car

"Tell you what, I help you with all your homework," Vergil said, "If you do your sword training afterwards with me. And no gun training for a few days. Deal?"

"Deal," Lili answered with a smile

"That's my girl. Come on"

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	4. The White Haired Dark Warrior

**Just some more quick questions I'll answer. With excalibur appearing, i'm still not sure, although i have planned for dante to wield sparda and linkin at the same time. As for new guns, i've only one planned. its harder to create new guns than swords/weapons. there was gonna be an ooze gun in SoS2, a weapon for nero from nightmare, but the whip seemed more appealing. anyhow. and can i do the MAX-Act? Um, no, i'm not all that great. i can't get the timing right. i prefer to charge up the sword before or during a battle. a bit easier i reckon. anyhow, here is the next chapter. enjoy**

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Nero was bored out of his mind. Even though he was the leader of the Holy Knights, he couldn't stop the Order from having their mass and worshipping his father, Sparda. He had elected a new High Priest to carry out the sermons and he had to be there to oversee the mass. Kyrie was in the crowd, with their three children: seventeen-year-old Michael, fifteen-year-old Cameron and twelve-year-old Evelyn. Michael and Cameron had just recently joined the Order, both receiving their swords, which were similar to Nero's Red Queen, but not quite as spectacular or powerful. Nero smiled as he thought about his children, ignoring the droning of the Priest. Michael had developed a tribal tattoo-like design on his right forearm, but it was actually his own version of Nero's Devil Bringer. Cameron had developed some telekinetic skill, while Evelyn was starting her training as a sorceress, just like Kyrie

"Let us pray," the Priest said

Nero rolled his eyes, before drifting off into a daydream

CRASH!!

Nero and everyone in the building looked up, as the glass ceiling shattered, glass shards flying everywhere, as a white-haired man came falling through the air. Nero's first thought was _"Great, not again"_. His second thought was _"If that's Dante, I'm gonna kick his ass. Doesn't he know how to use the front door?"_ His third thought was _"Hang on, that's not Dante"_

BLAM!

The Priest fell down dead, a single bullet wound in his forehead. Everyone started getting up and panicking, as the man turned around. His long white hair was tied back into a ponytail, as his blue eyes gazed out at the crowd. He was wearing a black trench coat over a black shirt, jeans, gloves and boots, with ammo bandoliers slung across his chest and leather pads tied to his shoulders. He ran a hand across his stubble, a smile appearing on his face, as he put his handgun away

"Kyrie, get the kids and get out of here," Nero cried

Several Knights drew their swords and rushed forth to face the intruder. Nero watched as Kyrie hurried the children out of the building, before facing the man. He looked a lot like Dante. Nero gasped as recognition dawned on him

"_It's Tristan!"_

"Kyrie, get Dante if you can," he shouted over the crowd

Kyrie nodded and disappeared, as Nero turned back to Tristan again. He drew a large sword that looked similar to Sparda, except it was smaller, with blue and purple markings all over the handle. Tristan smirked and he leapt off the altar, kicking a Knight in the chest, throwing him back. Tristan then blocked a Knight's sword, before turning around and slashing the Knight across the stomach. He then processed to kill another Knight, as Nero drew the Red Queen

"Get out of here if you value your lives"

The Knights hesitated. Tristan whirled around and killed another Knight, before kicking a fifth Knight across the room. They were convinced, leaving the Order, as Nero placed the tip of the Red Queen against the floor

"So, Tristan, you've returned"

"You miss me?" Tristan asked in a playful tone similar to Dante's, but more chilling

"When you get back?"

"Just then. You'll never believe what it's like where I grew up"

"And where was that?" Nero asked

"Not sure really. It didn't have a name," Tristan answered, "It was like a hell dimension, but it was not. It was like an alternative reality, but it wasn't. Maybe a combination of the two, perhaps"

Nero looked around at the slain Knights lying around them

"Why did you attack us?"

"Because you will get in the way"

"In the way of what?"

"In the way of the Saviour. We're gonna awaken it. And with it, we're gonna take over the world and make it ours"

"We?"

Tristan whipped out a handgun and fired. Nero only had enough time to deflect the bullets with the Red Queen, as Tristan suddenly appeared before him and swung his sword. Nero blocked the chop and kicked Tristan back. The younger demon slashed in the air, sending energy flying off the blade. Nero leapt up in the air, as Tristan followed after him, swinging his sword. Nero blocked both strikes, before using his Devil Bringer to send Tristan flying

He landed on the statue of Sparda and raised his sword, as Nero slammed against the blade. He bounced off and landed on Sparda's arm, as Tristan landed across from him, holding twin handguns. They looked like they had been made out of a creature's vertebrae, as Nero whipped out the Blue Rose and fired off two shots. Tristan shot them away and leapt forward, firing away, as Nero dived out of the way, shooting at Tristan as he fell. They landed and Nero slammed his right fist into Tristan's chest, sending him flying across the room

"Not bad skills," Tristan grinned, "For an old man"

"Cheeky little kid," Nero said, "Just like your dad"

Tristan swung his sword, shooting an arc of dark energy off the blade, as Nero revved up the Red Queen, creating fire on the blade, before swinging the sword. The flames mixed with the energy and exploded, as Nero and Tristan landed opposite each other. Nero placed his sword on his shoulder and turned around, as Tristan raised his hand. A portal opened up behind him, dispelling large balls of energy. Nero gasped. This was the same move Jester had used against them eighteen years ago

The elder half-demon leapt over the balls, as Tristan met him halfway. They clashed, as Nero grabbed Tristan with his Devil Bringer and slammed him into the ground. Tristan got to his feet swiftly, shooting another blast of dark energy, but Nero used his Dark Bringer to catch the energy and send it flying back. Tristan dived out of the way, as tiles flew up from the small explosion. Nero landed on his feet, as Tristan got to his

"You're not that bad," Tristan said, "Gee, I wonder what my dad is like"

"If you can't beat me, then you've got no chance," Nero said

"We'll see about that"

Tristan appeared in front of Nero and swung his sword, but Nero stopped the move with his foot, flipping over the blade and swinging the Red Queen at Tristan's head. He ducked under the blade and whirled around, as Nero blocked his move, throwing him into the air. Tristan grabbed a handgun, but Nero leapt up and kicked it out of his hand, before kicking him onto the ground. Tristan got to his feet, as Nero landed and started revving up the Red Queen again. The blade was glowing red, as Dante appeared in the Order, Kyrie and Trish by his side

"Tristan?" Dante said

His son turned and looked at him, as Nero went to grab him with the Devil Bringer. Tristan saw the move coming and leapt up, activating his Devil Trigger, before spreading his wings and flying out of the Order

"What the hell is going on here?" Trish demanded, "Was that my son who just left?"

"Yeah, it was," Nero answered, "He's back and he's not on our side"

"Oh, I figured that because you two were fighting each other. What was that all about?"

"He killed a few Knights and attempted to kill me," Nero explained, "He said he was going to awaken the power of the Saviour to take over the world"

"That's what he's going to do?" Dante said, surprise all over his face, "He wants to destroy the world?"

"Well, he said 'we', as in he's not gonna be alone," Nero said, "And I'm guessing that the other person whose gonna help him is Jester"

"Okay, if Tristan is back, then that means Jester is as well," Trish said, "Which means we can go right ahead and kill him for what he did to us"

"Hang on, dear, first of all, we have to find Tristan," Dante said, "He could lead us to Jester and we'll take it from there"

"Why did you scare him off?" Trish asked Nero, "We could have stopped him"

"I was trying to capture him," Nero said, defending himself, "So as of now, we have a major problem and that is stopping Tristan and Jester"

"You're right," Dante said, "Come on, we've got to tell everyone"

The four all looked up at the broken glass ceiling, before leaving the Order

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	5. The Hell Gates

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"So, you're telling me that my twin brother, the one who has been presumed dead for the last eighteen years is alive," Jenny said, "And it's possible that he's evil?"

"Yeah, something like that," Dante said, "Which means we gotta find him and stop him from doing whatever it is he wants"

"Awaken the power of the Saviour," Trish supplied

"Oh yeah, that's right. Come on, Jen, get your gear"

Jenny sighed and headed upstairs to her room, getting changed into her combat gear, which complied of red leather pants, black leather boots and gloves, a black low-cut midriff top and her red leather trench coat. Brushing her short white hair quickly, Jenny joined her father, grabbing her handguns and Rebellion, as Dante picked up Alastor and sheathed it, before grabbing his handguns and the shotgun

"Pick your armour," he said, "I've got Ifrit"

Jenny rolled her eyes and took Gilgamesh, as Dante took Cerberus and Lucifer. The two weapons were absorbed into his body, as Trish joined them, her handguns by her side and the Griffon Sword on her back

"Ready to roll?" she asked

"Ready to go, Mum," Jenny said

Dante kicked the door open and stepped outside. Trish followed after Jenny and locked the door behind her, as they got into Dante's car and began driving to Vergil's home, where everyone was gathering. Suddenly, a Mega Scarecrow came rolling along the street, with several Scarecrows following after it. Dante slammed on the brakes and got out, as Trish moved over into the driver's seat

"Keep going," Dante said, "I'll take care of this"

"Got it," Trish said

Dante drew Alastor and smiled when the demons saw him

"Let's play"

"Okay, so this is where all the Hell Gates are situated in Fortuna," Vergil said, pouring over a map, "One in town, one in a forest, one at the Order Headquarters, one in the outskirts of town and the final one under the Order Cathedral"

"And they're all open as of now," Nero said, "Except for the one under the cathedral. It needs Yamato and the blood of Sparda to open it"

"Not gonna happen," Vergil said

"Where will be the best place we could find Jester?" Lady asked

"Not sure really. Although my best guess would be at the Cathedral. That or the Headquarters"

At that moment, Trish and Jenny arrived, both holding their swords and a slight worn-out look on their faces

"There's a lot of demons out there," Trish said, "We need to get out there and protect the citizens"

"It's all because of these Hell Gates," Vergil stated, pointing at the map, "How they arrived and got opened without us noticing, I have no idea"

"It would have been done when Tristan arrived," Celeste said, "That's when I noticed one of them rising up out of the ground"

Her fourteen-year-old son, Spencer, was standing nearby with his cousins, all chatting amongst themselves, while Jenny was hanging nearby Lili next to the window, staring down at the demons rampaging through the streets

"So, where's Dante?" Lady asked, "Let me guess. Up to his ass in demons?"

"You got that right," Trish answered, "So, where are these Hell Gates?"

Vergil pointed them out

"If we're gonna stop this carnage, we need to close up the Gates. Lili"

"Yes Dad?"

"Will you close the Gate at the Order Headquarters please?"

"Got it"

She put her blue trench coat on and grabbed her katana, Yitoma, an eighteenth birthday present from her father, before leaving the house. Jenny gave her a thumbs-up sign before she left

"Jenny, go to the Hell Gate in the forest and shut it down," Trish said, still looking at the map

"Alright then"

She left as well, as Michael approached the table

"So, what can I do?"

"Get Parker and ask him to help you out against the demons," Celeste answered, "David and I will be out there shortly to lend a hand"

"I know what Tristan means about the Saviour," Nero suddenly said, "There are two Headquarters. One where Lili is going to and the other is past the forest. There's where a statue of the Saviour is situated"

"Is it the Saviour Tristan is talking about?" Trish asked

"It has to be," Nero answered, "Sanctus used to talk about it in his prayers"

"It is the one," Kyrie spoke up, "The Saviour will awaken and purge the world of darkness"

"I bet that's where Jester or Tristan is," Nero said, "I'm gonna head out there and find out"

He grabbed the Red Queen, as Michael picked up his sword and together, they left the house. Trish sheathed her sword, continuing to look at the map

"We'll head into town, try and see if Jester or Tristan are there"

Celeste left the house, Linkin sheathed on her back. Spencer went to get up, but Celeste whispered something to him and he nodded, sitting back down next to Cameron

"What do you want me to do?" Lady asked

"Reckon you could stay here with Kyrie and look after the kids?" Vergil asked

Lady cocked an eyebrow at him. He sighed and rolled his eyes

"Guess not. Come on, you'll come with us"

Lady smiled and picked up Kalina Ann, before following Vergil and Trish out of the house. Kyrie looked out the window, as her daughter joined her

"How bad is it?" Cameron asked

"Looks pretty bad," Kyrie answered

"Why can't we go out and help fight?" Spencer asked, "We're old enough"

"Maybe. But you aren't experienced or powerful enough"

"It's just a bunch of Scarecrows," Cameron said, "I've killed heaps of them. Come on, Mum. I'll stay near Dad and Michael. Promise"

"Again, I say no," Kyrie said, "I worry enough about your father and brother. I'm not going to have the whole family out there for when the Saviour awakens"

"Will we win?" young Evelyn asked

"I hope so, honey," Kyrie answered, "I hope so"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"The Hell Gates are all open?" Jester asked

Over the years in the alternate dimension, his appearance had changed. He had black lipstick going up to his cheeks in a twisted smile, while his orange straggly hair hung down to his shoulders. He also had black eyeliner over his eyes like a common clown, while he wore a purple outfit consisting of trench coat, thick but light shirt, pants and shoes, while a black spiked collar hung around his neck. His nails had also grown into small claws over the years, while two broadswords were strapped to his back

"All except for the main one," Tristan answered

Jester watched as the Scarecrows stormed around the city, killing citizens and tearing up the streets, dancing on burning cars and smashing up the shops

"In due time, the main Gate will open and the Saviour will awaken," Sanctus said, appearing behind the pair, "I can feel it starting to wake up right now"

"Head over there and get it started," Jester ordered, "Agnus. How are things coming along?"

"They are coming along greatly," Agnus answered, "My research is nearly complete. We have the White Knights at the Headquarters, waiting for orders"

"Go with Sanctus," Jester said

Agnus bowed, his body transforming into a demon's form that looked like a cross between a beetle and a moth, before taking off into the air, while Sanctus' body was covered by the golden armour of an Alto Angelo, flying off after Agnus

"It was a good thing you distracted Nero while I opened up the Gates," Jester said, "Otherwise, Dante would have found us and our plan would have gone to waste"

"Thank you," Tristan said

"Oh look, it's part of your family"

Jester could see Dante, Trish, Vergil, Lady, Michael and Parker out in the streets, battling against the horde of Scarecrows

"We're gonna need some of those White Knights, pronto," Jester said

Tristan nodded and walked away to carry out the order

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	6. Celeste vs Sanctus: Forest Hell Gate

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Look, down there. The daughter of Sparda!" Agnus said hurriedly

Sanctus joined Agnus, who was pointing down at a car flying towards the city. Celeste was at the wheel, while David was busy checking his guns and loading them

"She will be an excellent power source for the Saviour"

"I was hoping to use Dante or Vergil. After all, they are much stronger"

"What chance would we have against the eldest twins?" Agnus asked, "At least I believe we can take Celeste"

"Very well then"

Sanctus folded his wings and dropped, before spreading them just before he hit the road. Celeste saw him and slammed on the brakes, as Sanctus raised his hand. Fissures appeared in the road, running along towards the car and flipping it. It skidded along the ground on its roof, coming to a stop just before Sanctus, as Agnus joined him. David was the first to emerge from the car, coughing as blood ran from a cut on his forehead. Agnus lunged forward and grabbed him, before tossing him aside with ease. David sailed through the air and hit the ground hard, falling unconscious

"Hey!"

Sanctus and Agnus turned around to see Celeste standing by the wrecked car, Linkin in her hand and a look of anger on her face, as her eyes flashed red

"I'm gonna make you pay for doing that to my husband"

"Oh please, I can hardly wait," Sanctus said

Celeste rushed him and swung Linkin, as Sanctus summoned a large sword and blocked the move. Agnus flew over the pair, a circle of energy appearing behind him, as five swords appeared, before shooting towards Celeste. She broke away from Sanctus and smacked the swords aside, as Sanctus created another fissure that raced towards her. She leapt over it, slamming Linkin against Sanctus' sword. He pushed her back, before rising up, as beams of energy appeared and rained down

Celeste did a back handspring, moving away from the beams, before grabbing her handguns and firing away. Sanctus flew above to avoid the bullets, as Agnus summoned two Cutlass demons and began spinning around. Celeste fired at him, but the bullets bounced off the blades of the Cutlass, as he launched them at her. She jumped over them, as Sanctus slammed into her, knocking her down

"Okay, ow," Celeste growled as she got up

She Devil Triggered and lunged at Sanctus, swinging Linkin hard and sending him flying along the road. Agnus flew down, holding two swords and slashed at her, but she blocked both strikes and kicked him in the chest, knocking him down. Sanctus summoned two fissures at once. Celeste spread her wings and took off into the air, as Agnus created another circle of energy, shooting fireballs at her. Celeste deflected the fireballs, as Sanctus flew up and swung his sword. Celeste blocked, as Agnus joined them

She drew her Dragon Blades and began fighting the pair at once, dodging and defending their moves, before striking them down with a bolt of lightning each. Sanctus and Agnus hit the road hard, as Celeste floated down, resuming her human form. Sanctus got up, his armour gone, before floating up in an energy sphere. Celeste rolled her eyes and drew Linkin, before leaping towards Sanctus. Agnus lunged up, his claws digging into Celeste's stomach. She cried out, as Sanctus struck her with a beam of energy, slamming her into the road and knocking her out

"And that was the easy part," Sanctus said, joining Agnus, "Pick her up. she's coming with us"

He grabbed Linkin and resumed his armoured form, as Agnus picked up Celeste's unconscious body and flew off after Sanctus

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Jennifer dodged the Assault's claws, before driving Rebellion into the lizard demon and killing it, as a Scarecrow came falling out of the air, its leg blade aimed at her head. Jenny whirled around, drawing a handgun and shooting it out of the sky. The Scarecrow fell down dead, as Jenny sheathed Rebellion and continued on. She reached an open field, with trees around the boundary and a large square Hell Gate rising up out of the ground, a green cut of energy running down the centre

"So, how do I shut this down?"

She turned around and saw a large green dragon flying above the treetops. The dragon was limbless and wingless, as it shot down several eggs from its body. Jenny grinned and ran forward, kicking the eggs back through the air. They bounced off the tree trunks and flew into the air, as the dragon rose up, its mouth folding back and down to reveal a blue-skinned woman in the middle of the body. The eggs flew up and struck her in the face one by one

"OW! What in the hell?!" she demanded

"About time you noticed me," Jenny said with a smile, "I was feeling ignored"

"You look familiar," the demon said, "Wait! Your father was the one who killed two of my sons twenty years ago. I never got to kill him because he disappeared. But now I will have my revenge"

"Yawn. And already, I'm bored," Jenny said, "Let's just cut to the chase, where there will be fighting and screaming and oh yeah, your death"

"Very well then," Echidna said, "You shall face my wrath"

The mouth folded back over Echidna's human body and she flew down at Jenny. Rebellion's blade glowed red, as Jenny swung it three times, bands of energy flying off and striking Echidna. She reared up and took off into the sky. Jenny drew her handguns and fired after her, as Echidna flew down at her. Jenny flipped over her body, still firing away, as Echidna whirled, swinging her tail. Jenny flew through the air, but flipped up onto her feet as soon as she landed

"That hurt," she said

Echidna showed her human body and swung her tail again, but Jenny leapt over it, before drawing Rebellion and slashing at her body. Echidna howled in pain and took off, before burying most of her dragon body into the ground. Jenny went to attack her, but tentacles burst up through the ground, lashing out at her. Jenny began dashing amongst the tentacles to avoid them, as Echidna withdrew from the ground, resuming her dragon form and snapping her jaws at Jenny. She pushed off the snout, flying back and firing away, before landing on her feet, as Echidna lunged at her

Jenny slammed Rebellion against her jaw, throwing her back. Echidna flew off against and dived at Jenny, as she performed the Drive move again. Echidna flew back, before rising up, as her tail split into six tentacles, landing on the ground. However, it exposed her egg sac, as an egg dropped out. Jenny threw Rebellion, before leaping up. As the sword sliced into the egg sac, Jenny began punching and kicking it rapidly with Gilgamesh, as Echidna screamed and flew off. Jenny caught Rebellion and landed, as Echidna glowed gold and flew at her, shooting eggs at her

The egg hatched, revealing a Chimaera Seed, but Jenny sliced it in half, before shooting away at Echidna as she flew about, shooting down eggs. Jenny did her best to avoid them, slicing them apart if they got too close. Echidna flew down, opening her jaws, ready to bite Jenny, but she did a Stinger, throwing Echidna back, before throwing the sword, slicing into her human body. Echidna cried out, as Rebellion returned to Jenny's hand

"Argh! Dammit! I hate you!" Echidna screamed, "And I will kill you!"

Jenny whipped out a handgun and fired one round into Echidna's forehead, killing her instantly. Echidna's body disappeared, as Jenny put her gun away

"Yeah, yeah. All big talk and nothing else"

Something was glowing near the Gate. Jenny walked over and grabbed the ball of light, as it was absorbed into her body. Gauntlets appeared on her arms, but left her hands free and alone. Jenny raised an eyebrow, as she flicked her wrists. A long dagger appeared in her hands each, as she began cutting through the air with them, testing them out. She let go of one dagger, as it flew through the air, still attached to her gauntlet by a chain. Gripping the chain, Jenny swung the dagger around, doing the same with the other dagger, as eight small, needle-sharp knives flew out from the bottom of her gauntlets, all attached to miniature chains

Jenny grinned as she whipped all ten blades through the air, before impaling the Hell Gate with each and every one of them. Still smiling, Jenny yanked hard with her gauntlets, tearing the Hell Gate down into several pieces, effectively closing it up. The blades returned to her gauntlets and the name "Kraken" appeared on them

"Sweet," Jenny said, "One down, four to go"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	7. Frozen Hell Gate: Who Will Fight Who

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Lili held her trench coat tighter around her body. She never expected the Order Headquarters to be located in such a horrible place. The snow was about six inches thick, as flakes blew about and got into her hair. Ignoring the cold, she trudged on, until she reached the Headquarters. Slipping inside, Lili relaxed when she felt the warmth cover her. However, it was short lived as a group of Scarecrows appeared, jeering and flexing their blades. Lili smiled, her hand resting on Yitoma's hilt. A Scarecrow leapt at her, falling behind her in halves, as Lili blurred amongst the Scarecrows, slicing them apart will skill and ease. With the demons dead, she flicked her sword and sheathed it; very much in the way her father had taught her

Feeling the vibe from the Hell Gate, Lili tracked it down through the Headquarters, killing any demons that she came across, until she came out into the courtyards, where a large Hell Gate resided at the other side, a blue energy rip running down the centre. Two women were dancing in the small blizzard that had appeared; only they had pink skin, glowing and tentacle-like hair. They danced around, rubbing up against each other and finally kissing each other. Lili crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow

"Well, that's something new"

A large toad-like demon descended on her, massive mouth open, as it landed and bit down. Lili landed gracefully on her feet, a smirk on her face, as the demon turned around to face her, the women moving with it. She saw they were attached to the demon like antennas, used for luring prey

"I tell you what, boyo, that b.o. is very bad to have if you're trying to pick up"

"You dare insult me?" Bael demanded, gunk flying from its mouth as it spoke

"Yeah, I mean, why the hell not? It's hard to resist"

"I will crush you into tiny bits and devour you"

Lili drew Yitoma and rested the blade tip against the snow, as Bael's throat swelled up. He opened his mouth, creating two rows of icicles. Lili leapt over the ice and summoned four phantom swords, firing them at Bael. He growled and lunged at her, trying to bite her, but she swung her sword, slicing him across the nose. Bael whined and leapt into the air, as Lili landed. She looked up and dived out of the way, as Bael came crashing down

Summoning another four phantom swords, Lili fired them as Yitoma began to glow. Bael faced her, as she got into a stance and drew her sword, slashing wide. Three blue arcs of energy flew off the blade, slicing into Bael

He leapt away from her and began breathing a huge gust of air, disappearing, as the Raskarah Dolls appeared. Lili raised an eyebrow and rushed towards the lures, slashing at them. They fought back with twin blades, dancing around her, but she matched their skills, slicing into them, as Bael lunged out of the darkness, attempting to eat her

Lili sliced upwards, lifting him up into the air, before slashing down and sending him flying. Bael got to his feet, as Lili's body blurred and she appeared in front of him, slashing twice as she landed. Bael snarled and snapped his jaws, but Lili leapt inside his mouth and slashing him up from the inside, before ripping through his back. Bael cried out, breathing two rows of icicles again, which Lili shattered, before slashing wide and cutting Bael, throwing him back, before sheathing her sword

"You bested me! But it's not over yet. My brothers will be-"

Lili had drawn Yitoma swiftly, slicing Bael across the face and killing him. His body disappeared, as a ball of light appeared. She reached out and touched it. The light transformed into a pair of blue handguns emitting a frosty smoke. She began shooting icy bullets, testing them out, before looking at the Hell Gate. She saw many demons similar to Bael coming towards her. Grinning, Lili put the guns together, as they glowed and fused together into a large cannon with pink icicle-shaped missiles. She pulled the trigger, firing four missiles into the Gate, blasting the Baels back, as the rip closed up and faded away

"Sweet," she said, absorbing the Frost Cannon into her body

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Nero reached the second Order Headquarters, the Red Queen in his hand. He had just killed several Mega Scarecrows and a few Alto Angelo knights. Heading inside, Nero looked up at the massive statue of the Saviour, before making his way up the stairs towards the statue. He heard something coming up behind him and dived out of the way, as a Bianco Angelo and two Alto Angelo knights zoomed past, before stopping and turning around, as Nero got to his feet

"You guys just don't give up, do you?" he asked

The Bianco attacked first, slashing rapidly with his sword, but Nero matched him, as the Altos aimed their lances and shot at him. Nero knocked them aside, before deflecting Bianco's strike and moving around to its back

Nero grabbed the knight around the waist and did a suplex throw, before jumping and kicking with both feet. Bianco flew along the ground, as the Altos flew at Nero again. He sliced upwards, jumping into the air, before slashing at the other Alto. It blocked his moves, but then Nero spun around upwards, slashing outwards and knocking the Alto down

The first Alto stabbed its lance at Nero, but he stole the lance off it and impaled the knight through the guts, before revving up the power in the lance and pulling the trigger. The Alto spiralled through the air, striking the ground hard and shattering, its soul escaping into the Netherrealm

The other Alto and Bianco flew at Nero at the same time. He dodged them, using his Devil Bringer to pull the Alto down, before slamming the Red Queen against its armour, then stabbing it and flicking it through the air. The Alto shattered, as the Bianco swung its shield at Nero, throwing him back. He recovered to block the Bianco's strike, before grabbing the shield off the Bianco and impaling it through its armoured head. The body shattered, allowing Nero to continue upwards

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Dante blasted the Scarecrow away with a Stinger, as another Scarecrow came up behind him. A phantom spear suddenly impaled it, as Vergil slashed another Scarecrow in half. A Mega Scarecrow fired its blades at Trish, but she deflected them, before blasting it with a bolt of lighting. The Scarecrow collapsed, as several Alto and Bianco Angelos flew overhead

"Looks like the White Knights are here," Dante said

An Alto flew at him, lanced aimed at his chest, but Dante drew his shotgun and fired both barrels into it, bringing it down. He struck it with an electrified Drive move from Alastor, shattering the armour; as the rest of the Knights flew down to join the fight. Parker aimed his handgun and fired several rounds into the helmet of an Alto, bringing it down, as Michael caught one with his Devil Bringer, reeling it in and striking it with his sword, shattering the armour

A Scarecrow leapt through the air, but was taken apart by a rocket fired by Lady, as she turned, drawing one of her submachine guns and blasting another Scarecrow apart. Vergil dodged a blade aimed at his throat and sliced the Scarecrow's bladed arm off, before slicing the demon in half. Dante sent a Mega Scarecrow in the air and leapt after it, slashing it several times as they fell, before landing and throwing it through the air with a Stinger. The Mega Scarecrow slammed into a Bianco Angelo, knocking them both down, as Trish kicked an Alto in the chest, before running it through with her sword and slamming the armour into a leaping Scarecrow

"Dante!" Vergil cried

Dante looked over and saw Jester standing on the rooftop of the Order Cathedral, a look of amusement on his face. At the same time, Tristan had appeared on a nearby, taller building, his sword Vengeance drawn, as the sky began to darken

"Dad!"

Vergil whirled around, as Lili stopped before him

"Are you okay? Is the Gate closed?" he asked, brushing her hair away from her face

"Yeah, it's closed. Has Jenny returned yet?"

"Probably out there enjoying herself," Dante answered

"Dante, what do you want to do?" Vergil asked

"Well, I wanna take out Jester as much as you do, but I need to knock some sense into my son. So you can take on Jester if you want"

"Very well then. Lili, you coming?"

"Huh, what? Yeah, okay"

"Be careful, alright," Lady said, shooting a demon over her shoulder

She gave Lili a quick kiss on the cheek, before doing the same with Vergil, as they headed towards the Cathedral. Dante headed towards Trish and gave her a quick kiss

"I'll be back. It won't be long"

"We'll hold the fort here," Trish said

"That's my girl"

He turned and headed towards the building where Tristan was waiting, as Vergil and Lili headed towards the Cathedral to confront Jester

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	8. The Battle on the Rooftops

**Okay, based on info from Infinite Freedom, i got the white knights mixed up. They're the other way around to what i had them. Thanks for that one. also, the hell gate? it was only closed, not destroyed. And now onwards with this new chapter**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Vergil and Lili made their way through the structure of the Cathedral, before reaching the rooftop, where Jester waited. Vergil helped his daughter through the hole in the ceiling that Tristan made, as Jester turned around, a grin on his face

"It's been a long time, Vergil. And I see the little bun has finally finished baking. Gonna introduce me to my granddaughter?"

"You wish," Vergil growled

"Don't tell me I'm related to that guy," Lili groaned

"You're not," Vergil told her, one hand on Yamato

Jester looked up at the sky and smiled as he watched it get darker, as day went away and night slowly rolled in. He looked at the father and daughter, before drawing his twin, serrated-edged broadswords. Vergil smirked

"You spent eighteen years in an unknown place and you think you can wield a sword, let alone two? This should be interesting? Let's see how many times you cut yourself"

Jester whirled the broadswords around, as Vergil moved closer

"Come on over and find out"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Dante ran up the stairs and burst through the door that led outside. Tristan stood away from the edge of the building and faced his father, a smile playing across his face

"About time you showed"

"Same could be said for you. Where the hell did you go?"

Tristan shrugged

"Doesn't matter. It had no name. I think it was more of an alternative reality, because we were able to get Agnus and Sanctus here. However, we didn't want Credo and we all know how much of a daddy's girl Gloria is"

"Agnus and Sanctus are alive?" Dante asked, taken aback

"In another dimension. And we brought them back through to here. Simply because we needed their help. Agnus for the research and Sanctus to awaken the Saviour"

"I thought Jester wanted that"

"Oh he does. He's just gonna kill Sanctus when the time comes. Something like that anyway"

Tristan traced a semi-circle around his feet with Vengeance, as Dante's hand moved towards Alastor

"So, you're fighting for the world of darkness?"

"What can I say? I'm a creature of darkness"

Tristan moved through the air at astonishing speeds, bringing Vengeance overhead, only for it to slam against the blade of Alastor

"You're inexperienced," Dante said

He shoved him back, as they began to circle each other

"Think you can do it?" Tristan asked, "Battle against your own son to save the world?"

"If I have to, yes," Dante answered, "But would I kill you? No"

"Then you'll lose"

Tristan's body faded in and out, but Dante was able to watch where he teleported, following his pattern, before whirling around and blocking Tristan's attack. Tristan growled and pushed against him, before swinging Vengeance furiously. Dante blocked each move, before noticing he was getting backed up towards the edge. Dante Dashed to his right, before doing a Stinger. Tristan flew through the air and landed on the edge of the building, a small smile forming on his face

"Not bad, so far"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Vergil swung Yamato overhead, as Jester blocked him and moved inwards, swinging the other broadsword towards his chest. Vergil swiftly drew the Force Edge, reversed it and blocked the move, before kicking Jester in the chest, forcing him back. The demonic clown grinned and slashed at Vergil, backing him up, as Lili drew Yitoma and joined in, stabbing at Jester's exposed torso. Jester teleported out of the way, before slamming both broadswords against Yitoma as he came crashing down from above her. Lili growled, as he kicked her in the stomach, throwing her back

Vergil stabbed with the Force Edge, before whirling around and slicing wide with Yamato. Jester jumped over the katana, his legs spread out wide, as Vergil whirled again, kicking Jester in the chest. Jester stumbled back, but recovered quickly enough to block both Vergil and Lili's attack at the same time. Vergil brought the Force Edge down overhead, as Jester broke away, before jumping up and doing a spin kick on Vergil that knocked him down

Lili swung Yitoma, arcs of light blue energy flying off the blade. Jester leapt over them, as magical barriers appeared around the half-demons. Jester laughed as a portal opened up, dispelling large balls of energy. Vergil and Lili teleported to avoid the balls, as the barriers disappeared. Jester then vanished himself

"Where did he go?" Lili asked

"Lili!"

Vergil pushed his daughter aside, before diving out of the way himself, as a massive bouncing ball with a clown's face on it came flying out of nowhere. Jester was standing atop the ball and raised his hands, as the ball flew up into the air, before crashing back down again. This time, the ball began rolling all over the Cathedral rooftop. Vergil and Lili avoided him as best as they could, while firing phantom swords and spears at him

The ball disappeared, as Jester landed on his feet and blocked Vergil's attack, before moving away and parrying Lili's, then kneeing her in the face. She stumbled back, as Vergil leapt in, slashing rapidly with both swords. Jester blocked the moves, before swinging his broadswords around in a windmill fashion. Vergil defended, as Lili rejoined the fight. She locked blades with Jester, before raising the Frost Cannon to his face

"Oh sh-"

Jester was lifted off his feet as he was shot by four ice missiles at point-blank range. He spun through the air, landing near the edge. Lili moved towards him, raising Yitoma. Vergil had a strange feeling something wasn't right and went to stop Lili, but was too late, as Jester reared up, impaling Lili through the stomach. She gasped, as Jester moved her around and kicked her off the sword and off the edge

"NO!"

Jester whirled around and began defending Vergil's furious attacks, as a light rain started up. Jester ducked under both swords and sliced upwards, as Vergil disarmed him and held Yamato at his throat

"You're gonna pay for that"

Jester struck him across the face. Vergil flew through the air and sat up, seeing that Jester's arms and legs were covered in armour that looked like they had been made out of rock. He got up and began attacking, as Jester blocked his moves, before winding him with a punch to the stomach

"It's all going down tonight, Vergil!"

Jester punched him again, before lifting him up with ease and dropped him over his knee, the rock-like armour and the force snapping Vergil's back in half. The half-demon cried out, as Jester ran him through with the Force Edge, before throwing him off the edge to join his daughter. The armour faded away, as Jester picked up Yamato

"Told ya so"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Dante had been battling against Tristan, matching his moves with ease, but refusing to harm his son, where as Tristan seemed to have every intention of killing him. It began to rain softly, as father and son continued fighting. Dark energy and lightning bolts streaked across the sky, as sparks flew from their blades. Dante had the upper hand, he knew that, but he couldn't bring himself to fully take control and end this fight. He had tried talking to Tristan as they fought, but his son wouldn't listen, preferring to fight. As Vengeance and Alastor slammed against each other and Dante and Tristan were glaring at each other, the elder half-demon watched as his twin brother was thrown off the edge of the Cathedral to join his injured daughter

Seizing his opportunity, Tristan struck his father in the jaw with his elbow, stunning him, before knocking Alastor out of his hands and impaling him with Vengeance

"And you thought you would win," Tristan said, "You got distracted and therefore you lose. It's all over tonight, Dad"

He removed his sword and held out his hand. Dante felt his arms being stretched out on their own, as a cross made of black energy appeared behind Dante, attaching itself to him. Then, Tristan picked up Alastor and pinned Dante to the cross with the blade, before turning away

"See, I won and we will claim control over this planet, ruling the humans like we should be. You and Vergil are down. So who's there to challenge us now?"

"I'd like to say me, but that's just bragging a little"

Tristan whirled around to see his twin sister, Jenny, sitting on the building edge

"Ready to play, bro"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	9. Nero vs Sanctus: After the Fall

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Nero reached the top of the Headquarters, where he was just across from the head of the Saviour statue. But that wasn't all he saw. Sanctus was standing on the head, a golden glow surrounding his body. Nero drew the Red Queen and revved up the power in it, coating the blade in flames, as Sanctus floated off the statue and landed before him

"Nero. It's been a long time since we last met"

"Yeah and I kinda like that last time. Dante showing up and putting a bullet hole in your head. Gotta enjoy that. Shame you had to ruin it by returning, don't ya think?"

"Yes and it's a shame you're fighting against the Order"

"Actually, I'm not. You are"

"Oh, what a shame then. Repent!"

A fissure suddenly appeared and raced towards Nero. He leapt over it, before flying towards Sanctus and slashing, flames leaping off the blade. However, a magical shield protected Sanctus, as he created a coupe of fireballs and launched them. Nero smacked them aside and landed, as Sanctus fired beams of energy at him. He rolled out of the way and sliced upwards, flying into the air and striking the shield, as Sanctus brought down another rain of energy

Nero hit the ground hard and quickly got to his feet, as Sanctus shot another couple of fireballs, followed by a couple of fissures. Nero leapt through the air backwards, firing away with the Blue Rose. Sanctus chased after him, as Nero's right arm started glowing, changing colour from blue to purple and finally to red. Nero then pressed his arm against the Blue Rose, shooting two bullets into the shield. The bullets exploded, destroying the shield. Nero grabbed Sanctus with his Devil Bringer and pulled him down, before punching his face in, then grabbing him by the head

"You're going down, Sanctus," he said, his eyes glowing red

He drew back his Devil Bringer and slammed it into Sanctus' face, spraying blood and launching Sanctus through the air. He cried out and quickly flew back into the air, covering himself with the shield again. Nero drew the Red Queen and leapt up after him, slashing at the shield, as Sanctus shot fireballs or brought down rains of energy at him, but Nero avoided them, leaping over the fissures, before Devil Triggering

Spreading his wings, Nero flew up, firing with the Blue Rose, while also creating curved spiral swords and firing them, striking the shield. Sanctus was shooting fireballs at him, but Nero dodged them, before flying in and slamming a revved up Red Queen against the shield shattering it. Sanctus fell towards the ground, as Nero folded his wings, diving and slashing him

Sanctus groaned as his blood was drawn, while Nero grabbed him and began bashing him again, before slamming him in the face and launching him through the air, spraying blood. Sanctus flew away towards the Saviour and landed on the head, as Nero flew through the air towards him, the Red Queen revved up and ready to strike. Sanctus disappeared, as Celeste appeared in the jewel in the Saviour's forehead. Nero paused, as the Saviour caught him in his hand, cancelling his Devil Trigger

"What the?" Nero said, "Celeste?"

"Yes, I captured her earlier," Sanctus said, reappearing, "Using her as the secondary core of the Saviour. I was hoping to use either Vergil or Dante, but circumstances withstanding, I'll go with the opportunity at hand"

"Yeah, he will do," said Jester appearing suddenly, holding Yamato, "These twins are powerful enough for the Saviour. Simply because Vergil's already been taken off"

"What are you talking about?" Nero demanded

Celeste disappeared back into the Saviour, as Jester leapt onto the Saviour's head

"He either is or will be dead," Jester answered with a smile, "Give this to Agnus," he said to Sanctus, handing him Yamato

Nero swung his right arm, grabbing Sanctus with the Devil Bringer and slamming him into the Saviour's chest. Yamato pinned his right arm to the Saviour's hand, as Sanctus materialized out of the statue

"Foolish boy. You cannot defeat the Saviour"

"Stop being so overdramatic, Sanctus," Jester warned in a bored voice, "Just stick him into the core and get this thing on the road, alright?"

"Very well, Jester"

Sanctus merged with the Saviour, as Nero was absorbed into the body. He tried to resist, but the power of the Saviour sucked him into the heart of it, wrapping him up in its folds. Jester smiled as the Saviour began to wake up

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Kyrie rushed into the hospital, Cameron, Evelyn and Spencer closely behind her. Lady and Lili were already there, the latter patched up as they hung about. Michael saw his mother and headed over, as Kyrie stopped before Lady

"So, what's the news?" she asked

Lady looked up sadly

"He's got a broken back, a few smashed ribs, cracked jaw and he's in a coma"

"Yeah and I thought I had it bad," Lili said with a weak smile

"Where are Dante and Trish?" Kyrie asked

"Still out there, along with Parker," Michael asked, "As soon as we saw Vergil fall, we went over to help him, although Trish wanted to stay to wait for Dante"

"Do you want me to try and help him?" Kyrie asked

"If you don't mind," Lady said

Kyrie headed into the hospital room, where Vergil lay in his coma, attached to drips and monitors. She walked over to his bedside and placed her hands on his chest, before concentrating her power. Her hands glowed, but Vergil's condition didn't change. Confused, Kyrie tried again, but got the same result. Nothing. Puzzled by this, she tried to work out the problem and found it: a piece of stone lodged in his body surrounded by dark energy and preventing her magic from working on him

"Well, how's it coming?" Lili asked from behind her

"It's not working," Kyrie answered, "Jester has done some magic on him that's stopping me from healing him. He's gonna have to heal on his own"

"Damn!"

"I'm sorry, Lili, but I can't help him"

"I know"

Kyrie followed after Lili as they left the room. Lady stood up anxiously, as Lili walked over to her and gave her a hug

"Jester's done some sort of magic on him that prevents me from healing him," Kyrie said, "We're gonna have to let Vergil heal on his own. I think it's the only way to get rid of the magic inside"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Jester watched as the Saviour's power began to rise, thanks to the energy flowing from the Hell Gates and the younger twin children of Sparda inside it to act as the power sources. Although two of the Gate had been closed, there had been enough energy from the other two Gates to feed the Saviour

The Saviour began to rise up from its position, as the Headquarters rumbled from the force. Jester smiled as it continued rising up into the sky, as curved golden wings formed in the middle of its back, curving upwards, as several large stone platforms floated up with the Saviour

Jester smiled, watching as several White Knights joined Sanctus atop the Saviour. People were watching the Saviour in awe and wonder, but were soon running in fear when demons appeared, slicing their way through the crowds, as Jester teleported to the Saviour's head, standing next to Sanctus

"Agnus on his way to the Gate?" he asked

"He is. The main Gate will open, releasing all the energy needed to fully power this device," Sanctus replied, "And this world will be ours"

"That's what I like to hear"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	10. Sibling Rivalry Can Be Ugly

**Okay, so here we have it, the battle between Tristan and Jenny. Hope you like it. Enjoy**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Yeah, I guess I'm ready to play," Tristan smiled, "So, do you like my new ornament?"

"You're sick, you know that?" Jenny asked

"Well, now that you've told me"

Tristan suddenly moved at his twin at supersonic speed, kicking out at her head. It was the same move he had used at the Order to decapitate a Knight with the force and speed. However, he was surprised to see that Jenny had blocked the move, a circle of golden energy appearing between her arm and his shin

"What the?"

"Too quick for you, bro"

She slammed her palm against his chest, throwing him across the rooftop. Tristan rolled to his feet, as Jenny got into her stance, one hand near Rebellion's hilt

"Nice move there, sis. Didn't see it coming"

"How about this one?"

She suddenly struck him in the chest with twin lightning bolts, blasting him through the air again. He got up, growling under his breath as he drew Vengeance. Jenny responded by summoning Kraken. Tristan raised an eyebrow and lunged, clashing blades against her two large daggers. She kicked him in the stomach, making him stumble back, but he recovered quickly and slashed at her torso. Jenny reversed her daggers and blocked, as two knives rose up on their chains from the gauntlets

"That's new," Tristan said

The knives shot at his face. He teleported out of the way and came flying down from above, slamming Vengeance against Kraken. Jenny kicked him back, before firing both daggers and all knives at her twin. He fought them off, before sheathing Vengeance and holding his hand out. A staff appeared in his hand, as twin axe blades appeared on both ends of the staff. Tristan grinned as he whirled the poleaxe around

"Say hi to Anubis"

"Nice weapon," Jenny said, "Any good?"

"You'll see"

Tristan swung Anubis, a couple of orbs of purple energy flying off the blades. Jenny sliced them apart, as Tristan flew at her, swinging Anubis. Jenny blocked his moves with Kraken, firing knives and daggers at him, but he simply knocked them aside, getting closer to her. Jenny absorbed Kraken inside herself, as Tristan fired another several orbs of energy. Jenny responded quickly by summoning Gilgamesh, deflecting the orbs with the armour, before slamming her fist into Tristan's chest

He flipped backwards once and landed on his feet, as Jenny charged at him, performing a series of kicking moves, which he blocked, before uppercutting him into the air and leaping after him. Tristan swung Anubis, knocking Jenny to the ground and flew down at her, embedding the blade into the rooftop when she rolled out of the way. Jenny rolled onto her feet and fired two knives at her twin. He brought Anubis up to block the move, but the knives wrapped their chains around the staff, as Jenny yanked hard, ripping Anubis away from his hands

"Hey, give me that back!"

"Come and get it then"

"Fine"

Tristan drew Vengeance and lunged at Jenny, doing a Stinger, as she drew Rebellion and parried the move, elbowing him in the face. He slammed his elbow into her ribs, before driving his knee into her stomach. Jenny was winded by the move, as Tristan kicked her in the chest, knocking her down. She was instantly on her feet, blocking Tristan's next move, as she spun around and sliced at his head. He ducked under the blade and stabbed at her torso, but Jenny sucked her stomach in, before doing a Stinger on Tristan. He deflected the move, as Jenny struck him with a lightning bolt

"You know, that one's getting a little annoying," Tristan said

"Speak for yourself"

"You're a fiery little one"

"You have no idea"

Tristan swung his sword, throwing energy blasts off the blade and towards his twin. She dodged them with her Dashing and Air Trick move, before doing a Helm Breaker. Tristan stepped out of the way, as Jenny followed up with a three-hit move and a High Roller. Tristan blocked all moves, but was lifted up into the air by the final move, as Jenny leapt after him

Tristan Devil Triggered, spreading his wings and keeping him aloft, swinging his sword at Jenny as she came at him. She too Devil Triggered, flying out of the way of his sword and crashing into him, swinging Rebellion towards his head. He grabbed the sword blade and kicked her away, as she did the Air Trick and appeared behind him, kicking him in the back. Tristan whirled around, throwing a ball of energy at her, which she parried with a lightning bolt

"You're good, Jenny," Tristan said, "But you're not all that good"

"Why don't you show me how to be really good?"

"I'll just end up killing you. You know, it's funny. Dad held back on me, but you aren't. I wonder why?"

"Because you're an evil little bitch and I've got no problem with kicking evil ass," Jenny replied with a smile

"Very well then"

Tristan waved his hands, opening a portal and firing large orbs of energy that bounced all over the place. Jenny flew above to avoid them, as Tristan flew at her, clashing blades together as they fought each other amongst the bouncing energy balls, teleporting about to dodge them, as sparks flew from their blades. The portal closed up, as Jenny flew away from her twin, charging demonic energy into Rebellion's blade. Tristan was also doing the same thing, as he flew at his twin. They both slammed their swords against each other, the energy connecting and exploding, creating a cloud of dust that went high up into the air

Jenny resumed her human form, looking for her twin in the dust. He leapt at her from behind, but she heard him, whirling around and stopping his move, before throwing him through the air. Tristan hit the ground with a groan, as Jenny headed towards him. He spied Anubis nearby and crawled over towards it, but eight knives stuck into the ground him and the double-ended poleaxe. He looked over his shoulder at his twin

"So, are you gonna kill me or what?"

"Nah. I thought I'd just whoop your ass into the next century"

"Keep dreaming, sis"

Tristan grabbed Anubis and teleported, just as Jenny fired the two daggers. He reappeared beside her, swinging Anubis at her throat. She ducked under the blade, retracting Kraken, before drawing Rebellion, blocking Anubis and kicking Tristan in the stomach. He groaned, breaking away from Jenny, before whirling around and slashing at her face. She Dashed out of the way and did a Stinger, which Tristan deflected and stepped around, absorbing Anubis and drawing Vengeance

The blade began glowing black, as Tristan fired the energy beams off his sword. Jenny leapt out of the way, drawing her handguns and firing away at her twin. He blocked several bullets, before creating a barrier to stop the rest of the bullets. Jenny landed and drew Rebellion, before performing the Overdrive move. Tristan dodged the three waves of energy, as Jenny flew at him, their swords clashing together. They were in a standoff, with both twins trying to overpower the other

In the end, Tristan disarmed Jenny by forcing Vengeance upwards and throwing Rebellion through the air. As Rebellion came back down, Tristan ran his sister through with his sword. She gasped in pain, as blood dripped onto the rooftop

"You fought well, Jenny," Tristan said, "But in the end, you're just not powerful enough. And that's what I will have when the Saviour awakens"

"You're an idiot," Jenny groaned

Tristan shrugged and pushed Jenny off the blade, before raising it over her body. However, the next thing he knew, he was lying on the ground, Vengeance lying some distance away and a diagonal slash had appeared in his chest, the area around the wound growing numb by the second and feeling the being shocked running through him

Dante stood over his son, Alastor in his hand, as Jenny coughed and slowly got to her feet, before picking up Rebellion and sheathing. Tristan looked up into his father's glowing red eyes and for the first time in his life, he felt scared. He was suddenly fearful of his father's power. He knew Dante had been holding back on him, but he never knew just how much he was holding back

"If I were you, Tristan, I'd leave right now," Dante said coldly, "Before something bad happens. I held back on you earlier. Next time, don't expect me to"

Tristan lowered his head and got up, picking up his sword. Without looking back at his father and sister, Tristan transformed and flew off into the night, as Dante turned to his daughter

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright"

"Good. Let's go. I wanna know what's happened to Vergil and Lili"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	11. Lend Me Your Ears

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Lend me your ears"

Agnus was underneath the Order Cathedral, walking slowly towards the main Hell Gate, Yamato in his hands. He reached the Gate and raised the blade of Yamato over the lock, which had a line of Nero's blood running down the blade

"And let the true utopia be BORN!"

He drove Yamato into the lock, as the Gate and the area surrounding turned red. Agnus rose up, a large smile on his face

"It's working. It's finally working!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

A Hell Gate was nearby the Cathedral and as soon as Yamato was driven into the lock, the Gate opened, spilling out thousands of Mephisto and Faust demons. They floated through the air, as citizens ran screaming, while Scarecrows and Mega Scarecrows began appearing, carving up the people. Standing atop the Saviour, Jester smiled as the Saviour began powering up Its energy, before unleashing a beam of energy, annihilating the demons and humans, their energy revitalizing the Saviour

"This is just too awesome," Jester said with a grin

Tristan landed next to him and resumed his human form

"Dante taken care off?"

"No, he's not"

"What?"

"I defeated him, but my twin arrived and I had to fight her. However, once I defeated her, Dante came around and showed me his real power, telling me to leave"

"Oh well. You may have been foolish in leaving him alive, but he will fall before the power of this device"

White Knights flew overhead, joining in the massacre, their kills restoring power to the Saviour, as the energy from the Hell Gates brought it up to full power. It began charging up Its energy again and unleashed another beam, destroying a section of the city, as Jester cackled in delight

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Dante and Jenny rushed into the hospital waiting room, where they found Lady and Lili sitting around. Everyone else had gone home, as the red-clad half-demons headed over to their relatives

"What's the prognosis?" Dante asked

"Broken back and comatose," Lady answered, "Doctors are unsure how long he'll be in the coma. Kyrie's tried healing him, but Jester's magic is preventing that"

"Well one way to heal Vergil would be to kill Jester," Dante said, "Can I see him?"

"Go for it"

Dante lightly squeezed her shoulder and headed off, as Jenny remained with her aunt. Dante walked into the room and froze when he saw the condition his twin was in. He grabbed a chair and sat next to Vergil, surveying the various drips and monitors

"God, I wish this had never happened," Dante whispered to his twin, "None of this should have happened. If only we could have stopped Jester all those years ago"

He laughed slightly

"Tristan would never be evil, you would never be in a coma and we wouldn't have this problem. But I guess that's how fate is. Funny, isn't it?"

He got up, but placed a hand on Vergil's shoulder

"I lost you once before. I'm not losing you again. Get better, bro"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Trish got up from the lounge when Dante and Jenny entered the shop. She rushed over and wrapped them up into a hug, refusing to let the tears fall as she let them go

"I heard about Vergil. I'm sorry"

"He's not dead yet, but damn, he looks it," Dante said, "Jenny, go clean up, kay?"

"On it"

She disappeared upstairs, as Dante sat down on his desk and sighed

"What is it?" Trish asked

"Just…everything really. Like I told Vergil, none of this should have happened," Dante said, "Maybe if I had been faster or stronger to protect Tristan, none of this would have happened"

"You think this is all your fault because you couldn't protect Tristan?"

"I didn't say that. Okay, so I might of implied it. But the truth is there. I couldn't save him. Even earlier when I fought, I held back. I couldn't save him from himself"

"Nobody's blaming you, Dante," Trish said, giving him a small kiss on his forehead, "No one is blaming you at all for what's happened. Maybe there is a chance we can persuade Tristan from doing what he's doing"

"I don't think so. Jester has a lot of influence over him"

"But we're his parents. We'll have a better chance of changing his mind"

"I hope so"

"Don't worry, we can save Tristan. We just need to reach him"

"Yeah, I suppose"

"You need to take your mind off things"

"How?"

"Okay, this may sound bad, but the Saviour has awakened. And I think its using Nero and Celeste as the cores"

"What?" Dante demanded, getting up

"I haven't heard from them since they left," Trish said, "And Jester would have used Yamato to open the main Hell Gate. And I have seen the Saviour in the distance, getting closer. It's alive now"

"Ah great"

"But there are a lot of demons between us and the Saviour. And Tristan. If you're game"

Dante chuckled

"I'm game"

He turned to his desk and picked up the bloodied Force Edge. When Vergil had been admitted to the hospital, Michael had brought the Force Edge back to the office, while Dante had taken Vergil's amulet with permission from Lady. He reached inside his coat and took out his own half the Perfect Amulet

"Haven't used this weapon in like twenty years," Dante said, "Should be interesting"

He placed his and Vergil's half together, creating the Perfect Amulet. The Force Edge began to vibrate, as Dante placed the two items together. The Force Edge and Amulet were covered in a bright light. When the light faded, Dante was left with holding Sparda in his hands. Trish stepped away, as Dante practiced a few moves with the powerful sword, before sheathing, as Jenny came back downstairs

"Ready to go?" Dante asked

Jenny's jaw dropped when she saw the Sparda sword. Dante smiled

"Yep, it's the legendary sword alright," he said, "And I'm gonna use it to kick some ass. Actually, a lot of ass"

"Wow. Cool. I wanna see it in action"

"Oh, you will. Come on, Trish, let's get the cavalry. We've got a big statue to kill"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Lady had sent her daughter home. Lili protested, but Lady forced her to go home. When she did, Lady headed into Vergil's room, taking a seat next to her husband and taking his hand in hers. She rested her head against the back of his hand, as she let the tears slowly fall

"Please, Vergil, get better. Hell, even wake up. We need you here. I need you here. Lili needs you here"

She kissed his hand, before getting up and kissing his cheek. She began walking away, looking once last time over her shoulder, before leaving the room and preparing to head home. Just as she left the room, Vergil's eyes shot open

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	12. Flashbacks: Vergil, the Dark Slayer

**I'm gonna take a small break from the story itself and deliver a four-chapter flashback arc involving the children of Sparda. So this chapter will be about Vergil, the next one about Dante and so forth. I thought it would be interesting to do flashbacks about them. Anyhow, enjoy Vergil's flashbacks**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_"I'm going now, Dante. Be good. Look after Nero, Celeste and also your mother. Same to you, Vergil. Keep practising your sword techniques"_

"_Dante, Vergil. Get Nero and Celeste and hide"_

"_But, mother-"_

"_No buts. Just go"_

"_There she is. There is Eva. Kill her!"_

"_Don't let go, Dante"_

"_Help me, Nero!"_

"_Hang on, Vergil"_

"_Celeste, run!"_

"_Go, Nero, hide"_

"_Don't let me go, Dante"_

"_I can't hold on, Vergil…Vergil!"_

"_Dante!"_

_Vergil was helpless against the demon holding him tightly, as a portal opened up before him. Fear ran through his veins, as the demon took him through the portal and into a large realm filled with demons and lava pools. Vergil's eyes widened in fear. He was scared. Although he didn't want to admit it, even for a nine-year-old, he was scared for his life. He never knew just how much his life would change_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Vergil hit the ground hard, spitting up blood. The demon towered over him, growling and delivered a kick to his ribs. The fourteen-year-old fell onto his side, holding his ribs in agony, wincing in pain_

"_Come on, get up. I thought as the son of Sparda, you would be a lot tougher"_

_Vergil grimaced, ignoring the pain coursing through him and rose to his feet. The demon snarled and swung his fist, but Vergil caught the demon's hand in his own, before delivering a strike to the demon's elbow, breaking his arm easily. The demon howled in pain, as Vergil grabbed him by the throat and swept his legs out, slamming him against the ground, as his eyes flashed red_

"_Tough enough for you?" Vergil growled_

_He shoved the demon once to emphasise the point, before letting him go and turning away. The demon got up, growling and grabbed a nearby sword, before running Vergil through from behind. Vergil gasped, as the demon removed the sword, before kicking him down_

"_Gotta know how to survive down here, boy"_

_Vergil gasped, as hid body transformed into that of a demon's and he grabbed the demon, before ripping his head clean off his shoulders, tossing the head aside, as the body was reduced to dust. Vergil let out a few deep breaths, resuming his human form, before looking at his shaking hands_

"_What the hell just happened to me?" he asked himself_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Eight Abyss demons. One half-demon_

_Eighteen-year-old Vergil looked around at the Abyss demons surrounding him. He was only wearing his fingerless gloves, boots and pants, the katana, Yamato, in his hand, a gift from his father when he was young_

_The Abyss all lunged at once, swinging their magical scythes, as Vergil waited for the right moment. Just as an Abyss was nearly upon him, Vergil struck, shoving the demon away with a jab to the chest, before stabbing the end of the sheath into the face of another Abyss. Vergil whirled around, sliding the sheathed katana over an Abyss' arm, before moving around behind the demon and locking up its arm. He then kicked the demon down, as an Abyss lunged at him. Leaping up, Vergil drew Yamato and slashed twice, dropping the demon into three parts_

_He landed and ducked under a scythe aimed for his throat, knocking the demon aside with the sheath, before blocking another strike and spinning, drawing Yamato and slicing an Abyss in half as it raised its scythe. Turning, Vergil blocked a strike and slashed the Abyss in half diagonally, before smacking another scythe aside and decapitating the owner_

_With only four Abyss left, Vergil grinned and he rushed forth, slicing them up into ribbons before they knew what was happening. Flicking the blood off the blade, Vergil slowly sheathed Yamato, until it clicked into place_

"_Very impressive"_

_Vergil whirled around, his hand on Yamato's hilt, as a man appeared before him. He was a bald man, with a red and a blue eye, as well as a large black disfigurement on the left side of his face. He wore all black and was clutching a book to his chest_

"_Who the hell are you?" Vergil demanded_

"_My name is Arkham. I thought you might be interested in something"_

"_Not interested," Vergil growled_

_Arkham simply smiled and his eyes seemed to flash_

"_Not even in gaining your father's powers and surpassing him?"_

"_You're a human. Why should I trust you?" Vergil sneered_

"_Because I'm the only one who can help you get it," Arkham answered, "Interested now?"_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_The island exploded, the castle sinking into the depths of the ocean, as a seaplane flew away into the sky, taking its two passengers far away from the place. Vergil was hanging onto a piece of driftwood, trying hard not to fall off and sink to the sea floor miles away, but it was difficult. His strength was waning and his mind was fragile. Ever since his last battle against his twin brother, Dante, and the mind control was shattered, Vergil had been wandering around Mallet Island, trying to figure things out, until Mundus was killed and the island was destroyed_

"_Well, well, what do we have here?"_

_Vergil weakly looked over his shoulder, seeing a red-skinned humanoid demon hovering above the ocean surface. The demon floated down and landed on a large piece of debris. Vergil's massive sword, Yadujt, was lying nearby. Vergil reached out for the weapon, but it was just a little out of reach_

"_Ah, ah, ah, we'll have none of that," Balthazar said_

_He leapt over and hovered above Vergil, before holding his hand out to his face_

"_You'll need your strength for later"_

_Vergil cried out in pain as his fragile mind was seized and taken over once again_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_Vergil?"_

_Vergil stopped his training and faced his wife, Lady. She was standing in the doorway, clutching something to her chest and a worried look on her face_

"_What is it, dear?"_

"_Come here, please"_

_Vergil grabbed a nearby towel and wiped the sweat away from his forehead, before slinging the towel around his neck as he headed over to Lady and leaned against the doorway beside it_

"_So, what's wrong?"_

"_I'm pregnant"_

"_Excuse me?"_

"_I'm pregnant. As in we're gonna have a baby. You're alright with that?" Lady asked with apprehension_

_Vergil had slightly frozen when Lady gave him the news, but then he relaxed, as a smile appeared on his face and he grabbed Lady around the waist, pulling her close and giving her a kiss on the lips_

"_Of course I am, dear. We're really gonna have a baby?"_

_Lady held up the pregnancy test and smiled. Vergil returned it when he saw the positive strip, before giving her another kiss_

"_I love you, Lady"_

"_I love you too, Vergil"_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_God, I hate you for this!!" Lady screamed_

_Vergil grimaced in pain when Lady crushed his fingers while during another push. She pushed again, squeezing his fingers harder and Vergil had to bite his tongue to prevent screaming in agony. A baby's cry rang out and Lady's grip lessened_

"_You have a baby girl," said the doctor, "Congratulations!"_

_The umbilical cord was cut, as the baby was cleaned and wrapped up in a blanket, before being handed to Lady. Both parents looked at their daughter lovingly as she moved her tiny arms about_

"_She's beautiful," Lady gushed, "What shall we call her?"_

"_Lilith?" Vergil suggested_

_Lady frowned_

"_No demon names"_

_Vergil sighed and crossed his arms, pouting. Lady gave him a weak smile and placed a kiss on her newborn daughter's head_

"_Okay, okay, how about this one?" Vergil asked, "Liliandra Jade?"_

"_That sounds good," Lady agreed, "Liliandra Jade Sparda. Wanna hold her?"_

_Vergil raised an eyebrow, but picked his daughter up carefully. She opened her eyes slightly, showing off bright blue eyes, as Vergil held her close to his chest_

"_She's beautiful," Vergil agreed softly_

_Lady smiled as she watched father and daughter, as Vergil silently made a vow to protect Liliandra no matter what_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_Daddy, daddy, look!"_

_Six-year-old Lili was full of endless energy as she reached her father and showed off her drawing she had done earlier in school. Vergil put his book down and looked at the drawing. It was of him, Lady and Lili standing outside their home_

"_It's very good," Vergil said, ruffling Lili's short white hair, "Has Mummy seen it?"_

"_Yeah, she has. She said it looks great," Lili said excitedly_

_Vergil smiled_

"_Let's go put it up," he said, getting up from his chair_

_Lili followed him into the kitchen as he pinned the drawing to the fridge door_

"_You're very talented, that's for sure," Vergil said, "Come on, kiddo, put your stuff away and we can get started on your homework"_

"_Okay!"_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_Happy birthday!" Vergil and Lady said_

_Eighteen-year-old Lili took the long present from them and slowly opened it, revealing a katana in a black sheath with a gold and silver string wrapped around the hilt. She gasped in surprise as she picked up the katana and slowly drew it, the blade glinting in the light_

"_It's beautiful," Lili gasped, "I love it, thanks!"_

"_I thought you would," Vergil said smiling, "I had it forged last month by the finest swords smith around. Then I added a little demonic power to the sword. It's called Yitoma"_

"_Wow," Lili said, sheathing the sword_

_She rushed over and gave her parents a hug and a kiss each_

"_Thanks!" she gushed_

"_You're welcome, honey," Lady said_

"_Wanna give the sword a try?" Vergil asked_

"_Yeah!" Lili said, "Come on, let's go"_

_She ran off, as Vergil wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders_

"_I can't believe how quickly the years have gone," Lady said_

"_Neither can I," Vergil agreed_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Next chapter will be about Dante's flashbacks. And as you can tell, the speech at the start is taken from the first Sons of Sparda :). And keep an eye out on a DMC story I will publish maybe next week or after that which will be about before the Sons of Sparda series**


	13. Flashbacks: Dante, the Dark Knight

**First off, I wanna say thanks for all the reviews so far. A couple of quick questions I'll answer. Yes, I'll do a Nero and Celeste chapter. Nero is actually the next chapter. As for the fight between Vergil and the Abyss, it was just a training session Vergil was doing. It's a year before DMC3. Alright, now here is Dante**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_Don't let me go, Dante"_

"_I can't hold on, Vergil…Vergil!"_

"_Dante!"_

_The demon had ripped Vergil away from Dante and kicked the younger twin down, before walking away, as flames consumed the mansion. Nero and Celeste were gone, possibly dead, as Dante picked himself up, looking for a way out of the burning mansion. His parents were dead and his home was destroyed, while his siblings were either missing or kidnapped_

_Dante ran through the house, finding a shattered window. It was the same window the demons had broken through. Noticing the intensity of the flames, Dante climbed out of the window and ran as fast as he could away from the place, as it continued to burn long into the night_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_Hey, thief!"_

_The shopkeeper roared in anger, as Dante raced off along the street, clutching the apple close to his chest. He could hear the shopkeeper chasing after him and he ran as fast as he could, tapping into his demonic blood for the extra speed_

"_Stop him!"_

_Dante turned a corner and bumped into someone. He looked up and saw a kindly-looking woman peering at him, as the shopkeeper stopped before them_

"_Thanks for that," he said, "Now you are going to the authorities"_

"_Oh don't be absurd," said the woman, "Here, take your apple and go back to your stall. I will take care of things from here"_

_The shopkeeper accepted the apple and stomped off, as the woman held her hand out to Dante. He slowly took it and she helped him to her feet. Mrs. Wilson was a widow who lived on her own in a mansion on the outskirts of town. Dante had been living on the streets for about a year, stealing food and money to survive. But his life changed when Mrs. Wilson took him in, giving him clothes, food, education and a home_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_A parcel for you, ma'am"_

_Mrs. Wilson signed the papers, before taking in the large box, as fourteen-year-old Dante came down the stairs, his messy white hair hanging over his face_

"_What is that?" he asked_

"_Not sure," Mrs. Wilson answered, "I think it's for you"_

_Dante raised an eyebrow and took the package, before heading into the kitchen_

"_For me? I don't know anyone who would send me gifts"_

_He ripped the brown paper off and opened the box, revealing a five-foot-long sword. It had a skull sculptured into the hilt and the name "Rebellion" carved on the blade. Dante lifted the sword out of the box, noting it was somewhat heavy, but it felt good in his hand, as he spied a card and picked it up_

"_To Dante, from your loving father. Sorry it took so long," he said_

"_Your father?" Mrs. Wilson said, "I thought he died"_

"_He did," Dante said, "Someone else must have sent it in his place. The handwriting's different for one thing"_

_He was fingering the ruby amulet hanging on a silver chain around his neck, a present from his mother. Suddenly, demons burst into the home. Although Dante had fought bravely, he was knocked unconscious, Mrs. Wilson was killed and the mansion was torched to the ground, recalling the same thing that had happened to his mother five years ago. When he awake and surveyed the destruction, Dante swore to hunt down and destroy every demon that walked the earth_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_Vergil!" Dante cried_

_Eighteen-year-old Vergil was glaring at his twin, a katana in his hand, while his coat blew about in the soft wind. Dante frowned at what was going on_

"_I haven't seen you in like nine years. What's up?"_

"_You have something that I want," Vergil said coldly, "And I want it now"_

_Dante's hand shot up to his amulet and saw that Vergil was eyeing it. His other hand moved to Rebellion's handle. He couldn't understand what was happening. He and Vergil used to be inseparable during childhood. And now the first time they meet in nearly ten years, Vergil was looking at him like he wanted to kill him. Dante decided to go along to find out what was going on_

"_Well, come and get it then"_

_The twins battled each other. They were both evenly matched, Vergil in his speed and use of Yamato, while Dante had strength and many styles that he had taught himself. However, in the end, Vergil won the fight, knocking Dante down and taking the amulet, his eyes flashing as the amulet glowed in his hand_

"_It's not time yet," said a voice_

_Both Vergil and Dante looked over at Arkham as he came walking along the street_

"_What?" Vergil demanded_

"_It's not time yet," Arkham repeated, "It won't be ready for a while now"_

"_What's going on?" Dante asked, "Speak to me, man"_

_Vergil casually tossed the amulet back to Dante, before walking away with Arkham_

"_We will meet again," Vergil said_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_You like her, don't you?" Lady asked_

"_Well, yeah I do, but she looks like my mother. It's kinda hard," Dante said_

_They were both sitting in the living room of Devil Never Cry, watching Trish as she worked in the office. Dante had confessed to Lady he liked Trish, but was too nervous to ask her, unsure of what Trish would say. He didn't know if she even liked him_

"_Just ask her if she wants to do something other than demon hunting tonight," Lady suggested, "You know, like a date"_

"_Oh man this is so hard," Dante moaned_

_Lady rolled her eyes and slapped him upside the head_

"_Hey, ow!"_

"_Is everything alright out there?" Trish asked_

"_Yeah, fine, we're cool, okay, or whatever," Dante said quickly_

"_Okay, how about this then?" Lady said, "You don't ask her out on a date tonight, I'm gonna show all the girls at the Love Planet and all clients the photos of the time when you got drunk and dressed up in a woman. In the corset and make-up"_

_Dante shuddered as he remembered that night. He wanted to forget about that. He blamed it all on the alcohol. Someone must have spiked it; otherwise he would never have dressed up as a woman. What was he thinking?!_

"_Okay, fine, you win," Dante groaned_

_He got up and headed to the office, before glancing back at Lady. She smiled evilly and he sighed, knowing that she would carry out her threat. He headed into the office and sat on the desk, as Trish looked up_

"_Hey, Dante, what's up?"_

"_Nothing on tonight?"_

"_Nope"_

"_Good. Cause I wanna know, if you wanna do something tonight?"_

"_Like what?"_

"_Other than demon hunting. Well, there's this place that I know. Good food and all that. I was wondering if you wanted to come out with me and you know, try out the place"_

"_I love too," Trish beamed_

_Dante sighed. That was easy. Now the fun part would be the going out part_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_The small one-man submarine dived off the boat and plunged into the ocean, sinking slowly towards the sea floor. Dante switched the lights on as it got darker and the pressure started to increase. He had gone down about sixty metres before he started moving the submarine in a forward direction, searching around the coast of the destroyed Mallet Island. Lights played over the reefs and sunken debris, as well as demonic bodies, as Dante powered the little submarine through the water, trying to find what he was looking over. Suddenly, there was a glint of silver and Dante drove over, relief passing over him. After three months of searching, he had finally found it_

_He grabbed the controls and began moving the hydraulic robot arms, reaching out and grabbing the object, before returning to the surface. Trish and Lady hooked up the submarine and pulled it out of the water, as Dante got out and retrieved the object_

"_Welcome home," he said, holding Yamato _

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Dante poured over the computers, trying to find all the adoption papers he could find. When the Sparda sword had been stolen, he headed over to the Order of the Sword and scoped the place out. That's when he heard the name Nero and saw a white-haired man dressed in a blue trench coat walking around the place, his arm in a sling. Ever since then, he had been going through file after file, trying to find out if Nero really was his brother that had disappeared over twenty years ago_

"_Jackpot!" he said_

_He had found it. The Order of the Sword had adopted a Nero Sparda, handing him to a family who worked in the Order. He saw the names Credo and Kyrie, realizing he had seen them hanging out around Nero earlier. He had what he wanted now. That and what he had found out about the Order and why they wanted Sparda. Turns out they wanted to do an Arkham and unleash Hell on Earth by merging the demon and human worlds together_

_Dante knew what that was like. He and Lady had gone through it ten years ago with Arkham and Vergil. There was no way he was going to let that happen again. Getting up from the computer, Dante grabbed his weapons before heading out the door_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_Dante. Dante. Dante!"_

_He woke up with a start, looking around for the threat, but Trish calmed him down. For the next ten seconds_

"_My water's broke"_

"_Oh crap"_

"_Not oh crap. Get me to the hospital. Now!"_

_Dante leapt out of bed and began getting things ready, before dressing himself and taking Trish out to the car. On the way over, Trish was groaning in pain from the contractions, as they made to the hospital. Six hours later, Trish gave birth to twins, one boy and one girl, the boy being the eldest. Dante called all his relatives to tell them the good news, before joining Trish and the twins in the room_

"_Thought of any names?" Trish asked_

"_Uh, I've thought of Jennifer Lee. Don't know about the boy though"_

"_How about Tristan James? Sounds good to me"_

"_Yeah, I like that one. There we go, Tristan and Jennifer"_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Dante sighed as he got home, placing Rebellion, Ebony and Ivory onto the desk, as six-year-old Jenny came running into the room_

"_Daddy, you're home"_

"_Hey, honey"_

"_How'd it go?" Trish asked_

"_Total bust," Dante answered, "We've got nothing. All these years, still nothing. No word or sign of Jester and Tristan. They've disappeared out of existence"_

"_Don't worry. You can try again tomorrow"_

"_No, no more. I've spent six years trying and got nothing. Now it's time to move on. It's the best I can do now"_

_He picked up Jenny and carried her away into the living room, as Trish replayed his words over in her head, before deciding that he was right and headed off after them_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	14. Flashbacks: Nero, the Demon Warrior

**Here is the next flashback chapter featuring Nero. The next chapter will be about Celeste's flashbacks and will be the final flashback chapter**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_Nero!"_

_Vergil was taken away by one of the demons that had disarmed him of Yamato, taking it away with him, while Dante had disappeared and Celeste had fallen into the flames, gone forever. Nero's right shoulder was bleeding from Balthazar's knife, as he tried to find his way out. Not easy for a five-year-old. Nero ran through the house, avoiding the flames, until he came to a shattered window. However, it was too high for him and the flames were getting intense_

_He looked around and spied a fallen chair lying near a small flame. Nero ran over and grabbed the chair, before dragging it back to the window and righting it, before climbing onto the chair and out the window. With one last look at his home, Nero ran off into the night_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Nero hadn't gone far from the burning mansion when he could hear voices in the darkness. Scared it was more demons, Nero began searching for a hiding spot, looking behind trees and shrubs, before hiding behind a large overgrown bush as a flashlight swept the area, followed by several more flashlights_

"_I saw something over there," boomed a voice_

"_Go check it out then"_

_Nero heard the voices getting closer, as fear washed over him. Making a quick decision, he decided to make a run for it. He got up and got ready to run when he had the chance. But he only managed a few steps when someone appeared in front of him_

"_Hey, I found a kid," cried the Order Knight, "Looks like one of Sparda's kids"_

_Nero was in shock, as the Knight picked him up and took him back to the search party_

"_Sparda must be dead then," said Sanctus when he saw Nero, "The Legendary Dark Knight is gone"_

_He smiled at Nero_

"_Don't worry kid, we'll make you a Legendary Knight, just like your father"_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_Welcome to your new family, Nero"_

_The shy six-year-old made his way over to the kindly woman, while her husband was speaking to Sanctus and their two children, Credo and Kyrie, played around. Kyrie noticed the white-haired boy and headed over to him with a smile on her face_

"_Hi, I'm Kyrie," she said_

"_I'm Nero," Nero said shyly_

"_My name's Credo," said the older boy, "I'm Kyrie's big brother"_

"_Nero's part of the family now," their mother said, "Let's make him feel welcome"_

"_It's gonna be fun now I have a younger brother," Credo said, "I reckon we're gonna have lots of fun. Don't ya think, Nero?"_

"_Yeah, I reckon so too," Nero agreed_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_Credo really wants to be in the High Order, doesn't he?" Kyrie asked_

_She and Nero were sitting on the swings, watching as Credo went through his sword patterns and his forms of respect for the Order. At the age of seventeen, Credo was practising for his initiation to be accepted into the Order, just like his father before him. Nero and Kyrie were both part of the Order, waiting to be initiated; Nero as a Knight and Kyrie as a songstress_

"_Yeah, it looks like he does," twelve-year-old Nero replied_

"_I hope he makes it there. He's got so much potential at his age already, it shouldn't take too long"_

"_We can only wait and see"_

"_So, what do you want to do today?" Kyrie asked_

"_We should go to the ocean," Nero answered, "I love the ocean"_

"_Yeah, good idea. I'll ask Credo if he wants to come"_

_Nero inwardly groaned as Kyrie headed towards her brother. He just wanted to be alone with her for at least an entire day. He didn't want Credo intruding on what he wanted something like quality time with Kyrie. Over the years, he had grown quite fond of Kyrie. She made him smile when he was feeling bad and always seemed to make him laugh. Plus, she was pretty. Nero had no doubt she would be beautiful when she grew up. He loved hanging out with her. He was also sure he was in love with her_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_Congratulations, Nero. You are now an Order Knight," Credo said_

_Nero got to his feet, as Credo handed him a large, single-edged sword with a brake-like lever near the hilt. There were red streaks along the sides of the blade, a red handle and the name "Red Queen" engraved near the guard. Nero accepted the sword and sheathed it, as Credo stepped back into the ranks_

"_A new warrior has joined the Order," Sanctus said, "Please welcome, Nero"_

_Nero turned around to the applause of the crowd and smiled when he saw Kyrie amongst them. He had been at the end of the line of knights to be initiated into the Order with flying colours and was sworn in by Credo, who over the years had attained the title of Captain of the Knights_

_Now he could fulfil his lifelong dream of eradicating the world of evil_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_Be careful now, men," Credo said, "This demon is extremely vicious"_

_Nero rolled his eyes. They had been chasing a particularly dangerous Te'vulak demon, one of immense strength and speed, for the last few months and now they were closing in on it, Nero wanted it over and done with. He had been in the Order for about nine years now, killing demons and destroying evil cults around the world_

_Having refused the knight armour, Nero knew he was putting himself in a lot of peril facing this demon, but he somehow didn't care much. It seemed strange to others that he was somewhat faster, stronger and more agile than the rest of them. That and he could heal small injuries a lot faster than anyone else. He couldn't explain it and neither could anyone else, but it didn't matter to him. As long as it gave him the edge he needed in combat_

"_Fan out, but keep each other in sight," Credo called, "We'll cover more ground and find this thing quicker. I'm not losing anymore men to this beast"_

"_Well, let's get a move on then," Nero muttered to himself_

"_What's that, Nero?"_

"_Nothing, Captain"_

"_Fan out"_

_Nero and another knight headed down a small cu-de-sac, searching for any signs of the demon. Nero's right hand was near his sheathed sword, ready to draw at a moment's notice, while his left hand clutched the Blue Rose revolver, trigger finger itching and ready. Guns were frowned upon at the Order, so Nero was the only one who owned a gun, with permission from Credo and Sanctus. An up-and-over revolver with the image of a blue rose engraved into the sides, it had served its purpose to Nero, backing him up in sticky situations_

"_Look out," cried the knight_

_Nero looked up, as the Te'vulak demon came flying down. He jumped back out of the way and drew the Red Queen, as the demon lunged at him, large claws flashing. Nero fired the Blue Rose, but the bullets didn't slow the demon down too much, as it snarled and slashed. Nero barely managed to block in time, as the knight swung his sword. The demon grabbed the blade and smacked him through the air, as Nero placed the barrels of his revolver against the demon's head and fired_

_The demon backhanded him through the air, as the knight got to his feet and charged. The demon grabbed him by the arm and flipped him through the air, before tearing his throat out. Nero got up, twisting the Red Queen's handle and covering the blade in flames, before lunging forth and slashing wide. The demon snarled as the flames cut into its skin, before slashing at Nero. He went to block, but mistimed it, as the claws tore into his right forearm. He cried out, as the demon knocked him aside, before lunging_

_Nero caught the demon on the Red Queen's blade, as its poisonous blood dribbled down the blade and mixed with his blood, getting into his system. Nero hissed in pain, as the demon fell further onto the blade, wriggling once and falling limp. Nero groaned, removing the sword from the demon, before checking his wound. A lot of the demon's blood had gotten into his wound and he was feeling light-headed, before collapsing and falling unconscious_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Nero slowly opened his eyes. He was lying in the hospital wing back at the Order Headquarters, his right arm bandaged and in a sling. He groaned, sitting up, as Kyrie came into the room and joined his side_

"_You're awake," she smiled, "How are you feeling?"_

"_Like I wanna puke," Nero answered, "How long was I out for?"_

"_About a week," Kyrie answered, "We were really worried you weren't going to make it. You had gotten a lot of poison into your system"_

"_What about the demon?"_

"_Credo came across you and finished the demon off, before bringing you back to the Order himself. Mages got to work on you straightaway and I've been hoping ever since that you'll wake up"_

"_I don't disappoint, do I?" Nero asked with a smile_

"_No, you don't," Kyrie said, "Although, your arm has gotten all crusty ever since that night. We're trying this ointment, seeing if that works, but at the last check, which was earlier today, it hasn't worked"_

"_I'm sure it'll be fine, Kyrie. It always will be"_

"_I hope so"_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_A baby's cry filled the room. Nero's eyes watered slightly as he watched his son enter the world. Kyrie fell back against the pillow, worn out from the birth, as the baby was cleaned up and wrapped up into a blanket, before being handed to Kyrie, as Nero sat down next to her, staring at his son_

"_I can't believe we did it," Nero whispered, "We have a baby"_

"_We have a family now," she agreed, "What are we going to name him?"_

"_How about we name him Michael, after that archangel? A warrior of God?"_

"_I like the sound of that," Kyrie said, "So, are you going to tell everyone now?"_

"_One more minute," Nero smiled_

_Five minutes later, he joined his brothers and sister outside the maternal ward_

"_Well?" Dante asked, "Boy or girl?"_

"_It's a boy," Nero said with a smile_

"_And the name?"_

"_It's Michael"_

"_Congratulations," said Vergil, holding one-year-old Lili_

_There were 'congratulations' all around, as well as 'can we see him?', making Nero beam with joy as he led back into the room_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_Michael, is there something wrong with your arm?" Nero noted_

_Thirteen-year-old Michael drew his sleeve down further over his hand and shook his head, before heading off, but Nero caught him easily, before lowering the sleeve and looking at his right arm. Black markings had appeared around his forearm_

"_When did this start appearing?" Nero asked_

"_A few weeks ago," Michael answered, "I don't know what it is"_

"_Reach for that cup over there and want it badly," Nero instructed_

_Michael raised an eyebrow, but sighed and did as he was told. A black, clawed ghost-like arm shot out from Michael's forearm, snatching the cup from the sink and depositing it in his hand, as Michael looked up at his father with a look on his face_

"_It's exactly the same as mine," Nero said, "Although, yours is more human-like than mine, but still got the same powers"_

"_So I'm gonna be like you?"_

"_Uh-huh"_

"_Cool"_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	15. Flashbacks: Celeste, the Hell Princess

**Here is the final chapter of the flashback arc, this one featuring Celeste. Next chapter will jump straight back into the action**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Celeste was running after her brothers, trying to escape from their burning home, when the ground suddenly gave out from underneath her. She managed to grab onto the edge, but was quickly slipping_

"_Celeste," Dante cried_

_He and Vergil ran back towards her, but the ground creaked and groaned beneath them, stopping them from coming any closer_

"_Hang on, we'll get you out," said Vergil_

"_Hurry!" Celeste cried_

_She couldn't hold on and slipped off the edge, falling towards the flames_

"_Celeste!"_

_Flames scorched the air, as something lunged through the air and caught Celeste, holding her close as it ducked amongst the flames and exited the burning mansion through a window, before running away to a safe distance and setting her down. She looked up into the face of an insect-like demon with large horns and spikes adorning its body. Although Celeste knew she should be afraid, she felt safe with this demon_

"_Are you okay?" Graxtius asked, "You're not hurt?"_

"_Who are you?" young Celeste asked_

_Graxtius smiled_

"_I am your grandfather"_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_What is this place?" young Celeste_

"_This is Izlathrill," Graxtius answered, "Or at least the fire and brimstone realm of Izlathrill. It will be your new home until you are ready to leave"_

"_What about my other home?"_

"_It's gone, Celeste. Along with your family. I tried to find them, but they are all gone. Here, you will be safe"_

"_Okay Granddaddy"_

_Graxtius beamed at that as he took Celeste to his home and set about making up a room for her. It was difficult for her to get used to the place, but after a few months, she felt right at home with Graxtius watching over her_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_That's it. Now you're getting better"_

_Thirteen-year-old Celeste finished her sword kata and faced Graxtius, a smile on her face, as he came over, drawing his large sword, Linkin_

"_We'll go again, with me and then we'll do some sword fighting. Sound good?"_

"_Yeah, it does"_

_The pair began their kata and had gone through five moves when Celeste stopped_

"_What is Earth like?"_

"_Earth?" Graxtius said, "It's a nice place, I suppose. I never really lived there much. I kinda preferred it down here. But whenever I visited you guys, I liked it"_

"_Oh. What were my Mom and Dad like?"_

"_Well, your father was one of the bravest people I ever knew. For him to go down like that, well, at least he went down fighting, which is what he kinda wanted"_

"_And my mom?"_

"_She was the nicest, sweetest and kindest person ever. She looked after the four of you very well. She was an excellent mother. I'm sad to see her go"_

"_When will I go to Earth?" Celeste asked, continuing her kata_

"_Maybe in a few years," Graxtius answered, "Earth is a nice place, but it's also a harsh place to live in. I would prefer to live in the demon world actually than live on Earth. Everything here is simple. Up there, it's complicated"_

"_Sounds like fun," Celeste said as she finished her kata_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_Wow," Celeste said, "This is the human world"_

"_That it is," Graxtius said, in human form, "A nice wonderful place, but also harsh and cruel. Gotta watch yourself here"_

_His teal trench coat swirled around him as he stopped by a market stall and began perusing items, as Celeste continued on her own, amazed by what she was seeing_

"_Hey little girl," a man leered, "Wanna come for a ride with me?"_

"_No thanks, I don't think so," Celeste said_

"_Ah, come on, it won't be too bad. For me"_

_The man grinned, showing off his yellow teeth, as Celeste made a face at his breath, which smelt of alcohol and cigarettes. She went to leave, but the man grabbed her by her upper arm and pulled her back_

"_What you going? Don't run away"_

"_Let me go, now"_

_Graxtius bought a few items and looked around for Celeste, before spying her in the hands of a drunken man. He sighed and headed towards them. Celeste tried to leave again, but the man yanked her back, his face becoming that of anger_

"_I'd settle down if I were you, missy"_

"_I'd let me go if I were you, dickhead"_

"_Why you"_

_The man drew back his fist, but Celeste was quicker, breaking his nose with a swift punch, before ripping his hand away and twisting his arm, before slamming her palm against his elbow, breaking the bone. The man howled in pain, as Graxtius grabbed Celeste and began dragging her away, despite her struggling to get back at the man so she could continue kicking his ass_

"_I told you, you gotta be careful here," Graxtius said as he let her go once she calmed down, "Now, let's get outta here before the police show up"_

"_Well, they should arrest him"_

"_They will, but we don't want to be here when that happens. Come on"_

"_Okay then"_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Celeste hit the ground and quickly rolled to her feet, as the Forger demon slammed his sword into the ground. Snatching up her new handguns, Celeste whirled around, firing several rounds at the demon. He roared and raised his left hand. Flames burst out of the ground, Celeste was already in the air, firing away as she slid along the gravely ground, before grabbing Linkin and getting up_

_The demon roared and charged at her, swinging his sword hard and furiously. Celeste was backed up against the wall, as she ducked, the demon's sword slicing through the rock with ease. She kicked it in the back, before swinging Linkin. The demon whirled around and blocked, before swinging his sword upwards. Celeste was thrown into the air, but recovered and did a Helm Breaker onto the demon_

_The demon slammed his elbow into her stomach, before stabbing her through the torso, just under the rib cage. Celeste gasped, as the demon ripped the sword away and headed back towards his furnace. Just then, a demonic Celeste slammed into the demon, before grabbing him by the throat and slamming him against the wall_

"_That was invigorating," she said_

_She impaled the demon with Linkin, before heading over to the furnace, as she resumed her human form, before taking the Dragon Blades out of the flames and holding them up. Celeste began slicing through the air with them, creating fire, wind, lightning and ice with the large daggers, before sheathing them and taking Linkin back from the demon and heading off back home_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_Hey David," Celeste said_

_He suddenly jumped, drawing a handgun, but relaxed when he saw who it was_

"_How's it going?" he asked, sitting back down_

"_Not too bad," Celeste answered, sitting next to him, "Demon activity is kinda low at the moment, so I thought I'd see how you were going"_

_David slightly smiled, brushing his brown hair back, but it fell over his face again, just like his older brother's_

"_You need a haircut," Celeste said, "Cause it's starting to get difficult on how to tell you and Leon apart"_

"_Uh, he's got the wedding ring on his finger. I don't," David said_

"_Oh, don't worry about that. In time, you'll find someone who you want to live with for the rest of your life. Which sounds like fun, yeah. Everyone seems to be doing it these days"_

"_Everyone except us," David said, "Have you ever thought about a life that doesn't always involve demons?"_

"_No, not really," Celeste replied, "I grew up in a hell dimension. I fought demons all the time. It didn't bother me"_

"_Maybe it's time to break away from that"_

"_Nah, I don't have the time"_

"_Don't have time or don't wanna find the time?" David asked rhetorically_

"_Is that a tough question?" Celeste asked_

"_Not really. It's a kinda simple question"_

"_I don't know really. I grew up in hell and ever since coming to Earth, I've been fighting against powerful demons to save the world. Beelzebub and Abigail to name a few. And I'm always fighting to protect the world"_

"_True, but you're not alone," said David, "Because there is your family and mine. We're helping each other out. And because of that, you can have time"_

"_Are you trying to ask me out on a date?" Celeste asked, raising an eyebrow_

"_Huh…uh well…um how did you…oh man"_

_Celeste grinned_

"_Because if you are, then I'll say yes"_

"_You will?" David asked flabbergast_

"_Yeah, I will. I guess I can find the time after all"_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_And I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride"_

_David smiled as he lifted the veil and pressed his lips to Celeste's, as everyone else in the chapel began applauding. With matching smiles, the pair headed down the aisle, as Dante and Vergil threw confetti at them, before throwing it at each other. Trish and Lady broke it up, before following after the married couple_

"_Congratulations," said Nero, clapping David on the shoulder, "Although, you hurt her and I'll kill you. If she doesn't get there first"_

_Celeste smacked her twin upside the head, as her older brothers came outside, both carrying their young daughters as they joined her and David_

"_Congrats," Dante said, balancing Jenny in his arms, "But remember this, Davey, if you-"_

"_Yeah, I already know," David said, cutting him off as Celeste glared at Dante, "Shall we?" he said to Celeste_

"_Love to"_

_They got into the limousine and drove off, as Vergil joined Dante_

"_There goes our little sister," he said, "She's all grown up now"_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_Argh! Goddamn it, I'm gonna kill you!" Celeste screamed_

_David grimaced and turned to Leon, who just shrugged his shoulders_

"_It'll pass," Leon said, "Ada has promised me that twice already"_

"_Keep pushing," the doctor said, "We're almost there"_

"_Yeah, well we better be," Celeste growled, "Cause this is killing me. And you're so dead when I get out of there, David"_

"_I'm gonna go and see how's it going outside," Leon said, "Best of luck, bro"_

"_But, Leon!"_

_He was already gone, as David gave his wife a weak smile. She simply glared, before groaning in pain as she gave one final push and a baby's cry filled the room_

"_Congratulations," said the doctor, "You have a healthy baby boy"_

"_Oh goody," Celeste said with a smile, "I wanna see him"_

_The doctor cleaned the baby up and wrapped him in a towel, before presenting him to his parents, as David took a seat next to Celeste, staring at his son_

"_What shall we call him?" Celeste asked_

"_How about Spencer Riley?" David suggested, "I kinda like the name"_

"_Well, so do I. There we go, Spencer Riley Kennedy"_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	16. Adagio for Strings: Blitz Armour

**As a special treat, I thought I'd do a double update. So here we are, back into the action as Dante takes on the demons in the streets, as well as Agnus. Enjoy**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

There were demons everywhere, all over the street, hanging off street posts and dancing upon burning cars, clearly enjoying themselves as the statue of the Saviour hovered overhead, dealing out death and destruction

Dante grinned, as the power of Sparda flowed through him via the sword. A Scarecrow saw him and leapt through the air. Whipping out Ivory, Dante fired a single round into the Scarecrow's chest, bringing it crashing down. The gunshot alerted the rest of the Scarecrows, as they advanced on Dante. He turned to his wife and daughter and gave them his usual cocky grin

"Let's rock!"

He rushed into the crowd, slicing Scarecrows apart left, right and centre. A Scarecrow lunged at him, but was blasted to bits by the shotgun, as Dante sliced a Scarecrow in half, before whirling around and slashing five Scarecrows across the body at once. Whirling back around, he blocked a blade aimed at his head and sliced the Scarecrow open, as a Basilisk demon leapt, firing its fiery skull like a missile. Dante smacked the projectile back, taking the demon out, as he did a Stinger on a Mega Scarecrow

Jenny hooked ten Scarecrows at once with Kraken, before slamming them into the road with immense force, killing them instantly, as Trish blasted two Scarecrows apart with lightning bolts. Several portals opened up, dispelling Abyss Goatlings, Fausts and Bloodgoyles. Dante grinned and ran further into the crowd, killing demons as they fell upon him, using a range of stylish moves. He sheathed Sparda, before whipping out Ebony and Ivory and doing his Twosome Time move, before twirling the pistols around and rapidly shooting holes in a Scarecrow so it looked like Swiss cheese

"Hey, how's it going?" asked Michael

"Not too bad," Jenny answered, "Where's Parker?"

A Scarecrow lunged at her from behind, but a bullet stop its path, dropping it, as Parker showed up, holstering his handgun and drawing the mine dart launcher. Dante noticed this and waved. Parker fired a dart at a group of Scarecrows, as Dante leapt up. The dart exploded, blasting Scarecrows into the air, as Dante moved through the air, slicing and shooting the Scarecrows dead, before landing on his feet as the bodies fell around him, turning into dust

"Nice shot, Parker"

Parker blasted apart a group of Basilisks and waved, before dodging a Scarecrow blade and shooting the demon in the face with his shotgun. Trish dodged a Mega Scarecrow's blades, before smacking the demon into the air and leaping after it, slicing it to pieces, before landing and doing a Stinger on a Basilisk, electrocuting it. Jenny performed the Overdrive move, sending three Scarecrows into the air, before moving in and doing the Dance Macabre move, attacking three Scarecrows at the same time, as the other three demons got caught up in the technique

Michael blocked a Faust's blades, before grabbing at it with his Devil Bringer, ripping the tiny demon from its black cloak and laying into it with his sword, dicing it up and whirling around to slash an Abyss Goat across the chest and grabbing a Bloodgoyle by the tail, before using it as a lasso and smacking the Abyss Goat down

"Trish, I'm heading into the Cathedral," Dante called, "You keep fighting"

"You got it, honey," Trish said, snap kicking a Scarecrow

Dante cut down a Mega Scarecrow, before entering the Cathedral. The place was empty, except for Agnus sitting on the altar, writing something down on his clipboard. Dante smirked as he drew Ebony and fired a single round into the air

"You have come for the one thing that powers this entire escapade," Agnus said, getting up from the altar, "But I am the one who stands in your way"

"And you will fumble in your quest to stop me," Dante said, "For it is true that I seek the blade and by taking that, your little gate will close. Sounds good to me"

"I will be the one who shall stop you from touching Yamato," Agnus said, transforming into his demon form, "And the Saviour shall continue"

Dante laughed, drawing Sparda

"I have always wanted to battle someone with as grand delusion as you. So come along now, fight me and we'll see how far you'll get. I guarantee you…not far"

Agnus flew through the air and crossed blades with Dante. He pushed Agnus back and leapt at him, slashing rapidly. Agnus blocked each move, before creating a circle of energy behind him. Dante grinned as the fireballs were shot at him. He danced amongst the fireballs, dodging them or smacking them back into Agnus

"No, I will win this fight!"

Agnus shot forth, slashing rapidly, but Dante defended his moves, before smacking him into the air and leaping after him. Dante then kicked Agnus several times, before kicking him back towards the ground and landing on him, then grabbing his sword and stabbing him through the back. To finish it off, Dante then drove Sparda into Agnus and pulled hard, flicking Agnus across the room. Agnus got to his feet, before spreading his wings and flying up, his body starting to glow. Dante ran at him and drew the shotgun, firing both barrels into Agnus and knocking him down

Agnus got up, drawing two swords and slashing at Dante, who blocked and parried his strikes, before hitting him with a Stinger and rushing after him. Agnus got up and suddenly lashed out, catching Dante on his claws, before draining his life force. Dante Devil Triggered in response, throwing Agnus through the air with the transformation flux. Landing, Dante drew Sparda, as the blade glowed a bright red, as Agnus drew two swords and lunged. Dante swung Sparda, the energy flying off the blade and slicing into Agnus, dropping him

Agnus growled, before flying off into the air towards the hole in the glass ceiling, but Dante flew after him and they battled it out in the air, with Agnus creating and shooting fireballs, only to have them smacked back into him, as well as throwing Cutlass demons, but they got sliced apart, as Dante did a mid-air Helm Breaker, sending Agnus crashing down to the ground, before falling down after him, driving the energy-charged Sparda into Agnus and blasting him across the room

Agnus fell onto one of the chairs, turning back to human, as Dante also resumed his human form, before placing Sparda onto his shoulder as Agnus started panicking

"How is this possible? I have demonic power, just like you!" Agnus cried

"You sacrificed your humanity," Dante said, "It's that simple"

"But it's, it's, it's not fair!"

"Life isn't fair. Not everything turns out the way we want them"

"No, it's not happening. Not like this!"

Dante whirled around, Ivory in his hand and pointed at Agnus

"Too bad"

Agnus slumped over, a gunshot wound in his forehead, as Dante took the platform down to the Hell Gate. He walked up to glowing lock, Yamato covered in a red light. Gripping the handle, Dante removed Yamato from the lock, the power being sucked back into the gateway and closing up, as Dante admired Yamato, before sheathing the sword and heading back upstairs

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The Blitz demon struck the ground hard, screeching in pain. It turned to its attacker and fired a beam of electrical energy, but missed as the attacker struck the Blitz demon with a kick to the head. The demon howled and faded away, as its soul remained, before starting to fade away, but the attacker caught the soul

The soul glowed brighter, covering the person, as the glow faded away, revealing a set of armour on the person. There were golden greaves and gauntlets, which when the person clenched his fists, shot out a pair of claws similar to the Blitz demon's. There was also two lightning bolts sticking out of his back, as well as a golden mouthguard, with spikes going out past the cheek and one going up between the eyes and over the forehead

The person began practising a series of martial arts moves, punching and kicking, as well as firing electrical beams of energy, lightning bolts and phantom lightning bolts. Pleased with the weapon, the person moved on

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	17. Fall of the Hell Gates

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The cold was terrible, the blizzard freezing and biting at her skin. Lili was mentally kicking herself for simply closing the Gate earlier rather than destroy it, because now it had opened up again and once again, she was out in the snow, off to close it

She reached the Headquarters and made her way inside, surprised to see that the inside had all been frozen, turning it into an ice palace. As she walked around the place, staring at the ice, two Frost demons appeared, flexing their claws

"Oh hey guys," Lili said, "You should check this out. It looks so cool"

A Frost lunged at her. Lili sidestepped the demon and drew Yitoma, slicing it in half, as the other Frost slammed its claws into the ground, shooting icicles along the floor towards her. She leapt over the icicles, as the Frost lunged up at her. Lili slashed twice, but the Frost blocked with its shield, as they landed, the Frost scoring a kick in the face, as Lili sliced its legs off, before spinning around and beheading it, before sheathing Yitoma and moving on

She made her way to the courtyard, where the blizzard seemed to be the worst. Seeing that the Gate was indeed open again, Lili ran towards it, but dived out of the way when something large suddenly landed where she was a second ago. Rolling to her feet, Lili placed a hand on Yitoma, before seeing a Bael demon. Except that it looked slightly different from the last one

"Geez, you're even uglier than the last one," Lili said

"You dare insult me?" Dagon growled

"Well hey, I do more than that. I challenge you"

"A challenge? To the death I presume?"

"Yeah. And it's gonna be yours"

"I will crush you, worm!"

Lili laughed

"I'd like to see you try"

Dagon roared, spewing out chunks of ice that flew towards Lili. She drew Yitoma and sliced the balls apart, as Dagon lunged her. She rolled out of harm's way when he came crashing down, before swinging Yitoma wide. Dagon growled when the three bands of energy slammed into him, as he snapped his jaws at Lili when she moved closer. She quickly did a handless cartwheel to her right, summoning the Frost Cannon and firing four ice missiles. They slammed into Dagon, driving him back, but did no damage to him

"Oh right, ice missiles won't work on ice demons," Lili said to herself, "Duh"

Dagon lunged and snapped his jaws, as Lili swung Yitoma, slashing him across the snout. He rocked back from the blow and leapt out of Yitoma's way. Lili growled and moved towards Dagon, as he let out a huge roar, covering the courtyard in darkness and disappearing from sight, as the Raskarah Dolls dropped down, giggling and twirling on the spot

"Not these bitches again," Lili said

The dolls came flying at Lili, slashing the air with their long blades. Lili battled against the pair, as Dagon roared and came flying down at her. She dived out of the way, rolling onto her feet as she created a ring of phantom swords and fired them at Dagon. He slid along in the snow from the force of the swords striking him one by one, before unleashing a blast of icicles. Lili leapt over the icicles, slashing at Dagon and cutting into his skin. He leapt back, before spitting out chunks of ice

Lili dodged the chunks and teleported right in front of Dagon, slashing him across the face. Dagon growled, his tongue hanging out, as Lili dropped and stabbed Yitoma through his tongue, pinning it to the ground, before punching and kicking him rapidly, then grabbing Yitoma and using it to throw Dagon through the air. He landed heavily, sliding along the snow, as Lili sheathed Yitoma

"I will not be defeated so easily by the likes of you," Dagon growled as he turned around, "My brothers will come and-"

Lili had appeared in front of him and sliced him down his face, killing him, as his body froze and shattered into a million pieces. A ball of light was resting near the Gate, as Lili picked it up. The light formed into a spear-like weapon with pink blades and a blue hilt, but Lili quickly found out that the spear could be split into two, forming small swords. She looked up and saw about a dozen of Dagon's brothers standing around, all looking at her hungrily

"Okay, I don't wanna keep you waiting, so if you want to die, step right up"

The Dagons leapt at her. Lili grinned and moved through them swiftly, slicing and slashing, creating frozen statues out of the demons, as well as shooting chunks of ice, destroying the demons, as well as the Hell Gate. Lili smiled as she watched it crumble into several pieces, before absorbing the Dagon Spear into her body

"There, I feel all better now"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Berial was a mighty fire demon. Standing at fourteen feet high and weighing about over two hundred kilograms, he was a force to be reckoned with. He had been born in the underworld, servant to the god-king Beelzebub. Through the years, he rose through the ranks, becoming Beelzebub's right hand demon until his disappearance. Berial then took over the throne and set about conquering demonic realms. However, he was bested and frozen away inside a clock tower in the frozen realm of Izlathrill. But he ended up breaking out and battled against the third son of Sparda, Nero. Nero won the fight and Berial retreated, but he returned, escaping to Earth and fighting Sparda's secondborn son, Dante. In that fight, Berial lost his life to the Dark Knight and his soul escaped back to the underworld, where he regained his life, recovering over the years from his battles. When Jester opened the Hell Gates, Berial was able to escape once again, determined not to be defeated once again

Some things never change

"**But, how?"** Berial demanded when he struck the ground, **"How did I lose to you?"**

"All too easily," his opponent answered, "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to close this Gate"

"**I won't let you. Never!"**

Berial shot towards his opponent like a flaming cannonball, but was struck down by a bolt of lightning. His body shattered, as his soul flew into the hand of his attacker. A large sword formed, looking somewhat similar to Rebellion, with Berial's face engraved on the hilt and two pairs of long, horn-like handles, as flames surrounded the entire sword. The warrior began practising with the Hellebore, flames dancing in the air, as he leapt towards the Gate and brought the weapon down in a Helm Breaker move, causing an explosion on the Gate and destroying it. He sheathed the Hellebore, as the Gate crumbled onto the ground and he walked away

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Now, this just won't do"

Dante stopped in the middle of the street and drew Yamato swiftly. A long line of energy appeared on the Hell Gate. Dante grinned, as he began doing a series of stylish moves, ending with his back to the Gate and Yamato out to his right. He then began sheathing Yamato, going two-thirds, before sheathing slowly. He paused slightly, as Yamato clicked into place. As it did, half of the Hell Gate began to slide away, before collapsing onto the ground. Dante smiled and turned around, as Trish and Jenny came up behind him

"Nice work, Dad," Jenny said, "You got it back"

"Yeah, sure did," Dante said

He was looking up at the massive Saviour as it bore down onto the city

"Now this guy, he looks like he can put up a decent fight," Dante said, "Let's hope he's got a good one in him"

"Need some help?" Trish asked

Dante looked back at her and grinned

"Come take a ride with me, baby"

"Oh brother," Jenny groaned

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	18. Battling Against the Saviour

**Just quickly, about the Blitz armour, it also increases strength and speed and the user can teleport, just like the demon. Hope that clears things up**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Dante landed atop the high steeple, about a hundred and seventy foot high, as Bianco Angelos hovered in the air near several floating stone platforms. An Alto Angelo appeared before Dante, holding a large sword

"You destroyed all the Hell Gates," Sanctus growled

"Yeah, they kinda tainted the view," Dante grinned

"You never could hope to touch the power of the Saviour"

Dante smiled and leapt through the air. Several White Knights flew at him, but he threw Yamato, taking them out, as Sanctus did the splits over the flying katana. Dante then began using the White Knights as stepping stones, jumping from one to the other, landing on a platform and doing a forward backflip off it, dodging an Bianco Angelo, before throwing Sparda into the Saviour's leg, catching Yamato and landing on Sparda, as Sanctus floated in close

"Ready to eat your words?" Dante asked, tapping the Saviour with Yamato

"Your attempts to defeat us are most foolish at best," Sanctus said, turning his back, "It would be wise to give up. However, I know otherwise"

He suddenly spun around and shot forward, slashing wide. Only Dante was already gone. Sanctus turned around, as Dante whipped out Ebony and fired a round into his helmet. The armour shattered against the Saviour, revealing that it had been animated

"So, the real one must be inside," Dante said, as Trish and Jenny joined him, "Looks like its up to us to take care of ugly here"

Dante moved towards the end of the platform, where there was a small circle of energy on the ground. Stepping on it, Dante was shot through the air to another platform, as the Saviour moved towards him. Trish fired two bolts of lightning, but they had no effect on the Saviour as It did a hammer strike on Dante's platform. He jumped out of the way of the elbow, as the Saviour next did a sweeping roundhouse kick. Dante teleported out of the way, before grabbing his handguns and firing away at the Saviour. It floated back, unaffected by the bullets, as several White Knights appeared before Trish and Jenny

Trish grabbed a Knight's lance and flipped it over, before driving her spiked heel into its throat, as Jenny dodged a Knight zooming at her, catching it in the back with Kraken and slamming it into the ground. Trish then struck another Knight with lightning, momentarily stunning it, as she did a series of martial arts move, shattering the armour, as Jenny blocked a Knight and destroyed with the Drive move

Dante leapt towards another platform, kicking down a Bianco Angelo as he flew through the sky, before taking out Pandora and transforming it into the airborne battery tank. Dante grinned as he fired all twelve turrets, the rockets screaming away and slamming into the Saviour. It was rocked back by the blow, before sweeping It's hand through the air, creating four balls of energy and sending them towards Dante. He moved out of their way, creating the giant laser cannon with Pandora and firing a large laser. The Saviour wasn't affected by the blow, as It curled up into a foetal position, a glow emitting from It's 'wings'

"Wow, that looks cool," Dante said

He had to suddenly leap out of the way when a massive beam of energy was blasted his way. Dante jumped two platforms and stood watching the Saviour as It finished It's powerful attack. Looking in the direction of the blast, Dante saw that a large part of the city had been destroyed

"Whoa. So not cool"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Michael slammed a Scarecrow into the ground, as two more appeared to take its place. Swinging his sword wide, he took out another four, as a Mega Scarecrow appeared. Parker dodged a blade aimed at his head and fired several rounds into the Scarecrow, before ejecting the empty magazine and slamming the new one into place, just as a Goatling came at him. Rolling to his left, Parker shot the demon in the back, before kicking a Scarecrow in the head and shooting it a few times

"Man, these guys never give up," Michael said

"Need a hand?"

Lili had turned two Scarecrows into frozen statues, before shattering them, as a Mega Scarecrow curled up into a ball, its blades pointing outwards, as it shot towards Lili. She drew Yitoma and slammed it against the demon's blades, opening it up and slicing it in half, before whirling around and taking out a Basilisk, as the White Knights appeared to join in. One flew towards Parker, but was suddenly taken out by a rocket, as Lady, Leon and David arrived

"Mom, you're here," Lili said, "What Dad's condition?"

"Still in hospital," Lady answered

She drew her submachine guns and blasted apart several Scarecrows, as a Sin Scythe flew in. Lili drove Yitoma into its skull, killing it, as Leon and David stood back-to-back, shooting down the demons

"Dad, I'm running out," Parker called

"Don't worry, your mother will be here shortly," Leon said as he blasted a Scarecrow apart with his shotgun

David dodged a fireball shot at him by a Pyromancer and returned fire, destroying the demon's body with only a few bullets, as a portal opened, dispelling a large Orangguera, followed by a Furiataurus

"Oh man," Parker said, "Not good"

The Orangguera roared and charged into the fray, as Lili teleported and kicked it in the face, knocking it back, following up with several phantom swords, as Michael took on the Furiataurus, grabbing it by the head and slamming its face into the ground. Just then, a military aircraft carrier helicopter arrived, circling around the battlefield, as gunshots rained down from it, taking out any nearby demons as it began to hover towards the ground. Leon headed over and gave Ada a quick kiss, before going through the ammo cases, with his daughter Amber helping him out

"Hey sis," Parker said as he joined them, "Got anything for me?"

"Benelli shotgun?" she asked, holding up the weapon

Parker took it out and twisted his body slightly, blasting a sneaking Scarecrow apart without looking, before cocking it once and grabbing a sling of ammo

"Sounds good to me"

Leon reloaded his handguns and grabbed some more ammo, as well as shotgun shells and his sniper rifle. Slinging it over his back, Leon gave Ada and Amber a kiss each, before clapping his son on the shoulder

"Be careful," Leon said to Ada

"You too," she said

The helicopter took off, as Leon and Parker rejoined the battle. Lady ducked under a Mega Scarecrow's blade and kicked it in the chest, before shooting it several times. It stumbled back, as two Scarecrows and a Blood Goat took its place, leaping towards Lady. She smiled, grabbing Kalina Ann and pulling the trigger. The demons were blown up, as Lady whirled around, shooting several Pride demons

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Jenny inclined her head, as a lance shot past her face. Grabbing the lance, Jenny threw the Knight over her shoulder, before drawing a handgun and shooting it in the head. Whirling around, she dodged another Knight's sword, drawing Rebellion and knocked the Knight into the air, before following after it and slamming it into the ground. Trish grabbed a lance off a Knight and impaled it with the weapon, before charging her electrical energy into the lance. Grinning, Trish released the energy, blasting the Knight through the air and taking out two other Knights

Jenny struck down a Bianco Angelo, before whirling around and doing a Stinger against a demon, before seeing it was a Dullahan. Rebellion bounced off its shield, as Jenny stepped back, before leaping over the demon. It tried to strike out at her, but missed as she landed behind it and smashed the jewel in its back, destroying it, as an Alto Angelo slammed into her

Trish kicked a Bianco Angelo several times, before striking it with blasts of lightning, as another Bianco flew at her. Drawing her sword, Trish struck the Knight down, before throwing her sword into the chest of another Knight, as Jenny struck the Alto in the jaw and tore its helmet off, killing it, before flipping onto her feet

"Now this could be interesting," Trish said, as a large group of Knights appeared around them

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	19. Inside the Belly of the Beast

**Thought I might do a double update. The fight against the Saviour continues. Enjoy**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Dante fired a round into the air. Lady heard this and looked up, seeing Dante waving at her. She smiled and fired Kalina Ann at the Saviour. It saw the rocket coming and raised Its hand, but Dante leapt onto the rocket, using it as a surfboard, riding through the air and whooping, before directing the rocket into the Saviour's left wrist jewel, completely shattering it. The Saviour swiped at Dante, but he leapt back towards one of the platforms, as Trish and Jenny continued battling against the White Knights

The Saviour lunged at Dante, lashing out at him with elbow strikes and kicks, but Dante danced amongst the blows, laughing as he went, before leaping onto the Saviour's right arm. He drove Sparda into the wrist jewel, before running up the arm, as the Saviour swept Its hand towards him. Dante dropped his body, sliding along the arm and stabbing Sparda into the Saviour's palm, getting swept into the air, before drawing the shotgun and delivering two rounds to the shoulder jewel. It cracked, as Dante flung out Cerberus, one of the long rods extending out and striking the jewel, shattering it completely, as Dante was swung back through the air

Dante removed Sparda from the Saviour's palm and teleported back to a platform, as energy appeared around Yamato's sheath. He slid back into a stance, as purple lines of energy appeared on the Saviour's chest. Dante smiled and drew Yamato, the twenty lines of energy slicing into the Saviour. It fired several balls of energy, before flying in and striking with several moves. Dante leapt away to another platform, as the Saviour snapped a building roof off and hurled it at him. Dante used Yamato to slice through the huge projectile, the two halves flying past him harmlessly

Six orbs of energy came flying through the air, shattering the Saviour's left ankle jewel. Dante gave Kyrie the thumbs up, before leaping out of the way of Saviour's earth-shaking slap. He had Pandora form a chaingun and fired away, as he landed on another platform, before creating several phantom swords with Lucifer and firing them. They embedded into the Saviour, as Dante threw the rose from his mouth, exploding the swords. The Saviour fell back onto a large platform, as Dante used the trampolines to reach It and start attacking the chest jewel. It began to crack, as the Saviour rose up, brushing Dante off

Four bolts of lightning destroyed the left shoulder jewel, as another rocket from Lady took out the right ankle jewel. The Saviour charged up Its energy and unleashed a massive beam, tearing through the city

"Any time you want to take that out would be nice," Trish called

"Well, if you stop fighting all those Knights, then you can help me," Dante shouted back

"Little hard when they won't stop showing up"

"Right then, don't complain"

"Oh, you are in for it when this is over"

"Fine"

Dante turned back to the Saviour and leapt up when Its hand came flying down. He stabbed Sparda into the back of Its hand, as the Saviour punched at him. Dante leapt off the hand and sailed towards Its chest, driving Yamato into the jewel, as Jenny took out the jewel in the back. Dante drove the blade in deeper, as the Saviour went to grab him. He jumped off, before drawing Ebony and Ivory

"If you can't penetrate the outside," he said, crossing his arms over, "Take it out from the inside"

He fired several rounds, the bullets slamming into Yamato's hilt and driving it through the jewel and into the large heart-like core. Purple blood was sprayed, as Dante landed on a steeple

"Time to wake up bro, you're missing out on all the fun," Dante called

Nothing was happening, as the Saviour moved towards Dante

"Nero!"

This time, a demonic arm burst out of the core and took hold of Yamato, as Nero forced his way out of the core, covered in blood

"That's the spirit. Now get on your feet and let's save the world, just like old times"

"Yeah, just give me a minute," Nero groaned

He slowly got to his feet, Yamato still in his hand, as Dante gave him the thumbs up, before leaping out of the way of the Saviour's fist. Clenching Yamato tightly, Nero turned away and headed deeper into the Saviour

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Lady dodged a Goatling and rammed the blade of Kalina Ann through its chest, before shooting it a few times and removing the blade from the body, as Lili fired three arcs of energy into the Orangguera, slicing into it. The demon roared and swung its massive fists, but Lili leapt over the arms, spinning around upside-down and landing, before sheathing Yitoma. When the sword clicked into place, the Orangguera fell apart into six different pieces. Lili smiled, before taking on several Scarecrows

Michael punched the Furiataurus with his right fist, making it stumble back, as he leapt at it, sword ready to strike. The Furiataurus began whirling its hammer around like a helicopter rotor, as a whirlwind of energy sprung up around it. Michael was pulled into the whirlwind, but used his Devil Bringer to grab onto the Furiataurus and slam its face into the ground, before uppercutting it into the air and punching it. The Furiataurus flew through the air, as Michael sliced a Scarecrow's blade off and threw into the Furiataurus' chest. The demon roared as it faded away

More demons arrived, as Parker, Leon and David shot them down. Kyrie was using a variety of spells, from projectiles, whirlwinds and constricting spells, as Parker covered her, taking out any demons that approached her without her knowing. Lady fired a rocket into a group of Goatlings, as a Pyromancer shot a fireball at her. She rolled out of the way and shot it several times, before turning around and blasting a Sloth demon apart with her submachine gun

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Nero ventured deep into the Saviour, clutching Yamato tightly, as he came to a series of platforms. There were coloured circles on the ground, linked together in a ring, as a massive black die appeared, followed by a ghostly version of himself. Nero raised an eyebrow, as he absorbed Yamato into his demonic arm, before drawing the Red Queen and striking the die. A four appeared, as the ghostly Nero moved four circles and landed on the white circle, shooting forward into a white portal. Nero found himself teleported to the second platform, where there were now twelve circles

A die appeared. Nero struck it again, as his ghost landed on a red circle. Several Scarecrows and a Mega Scarecrow appeared, as Nero smiled

"Finally, some action at last"

He grabbed a Scarecrow with his Devil Bringer and slammed it into the ground, before striking it with the Red Queen, then flicking it through the air, as two Scarecrows leapt at him. Nero rolled out of the way and attacked them with a series of moves, before jumping over another Scarecrow. He pulled the demon into the air and hacked it apart, before grabbing the Mega Scarecrow and throwing it into the ground. The Mega Scarecrow lashed out at him, but Nero slammed its face into the ground, before driving his knee into its face, destroying its body

With the demons dead, Nero turned back to the die, getting his ghostly form into the white portal and being transported to the next level, with sixteen circles and a group of Basilisks and Assaults awaiting him. Nero sighed, as he summoned Yamato

"Shall we?" he asked, taking a pose

The demons growled and lunged at him. He sliced them apart, revving up the Red Queen and unleashing its energy onto an Assault, killing them, before turning to the die and striking up a six. The ghost landed on a yellow circle, getting transported to the white circle, then the white portal, as Nero was taken to the next and final level. After much rolling of the die and killing of several demons, Nero reached the end of the puzzle, taking the few stairs up to the secondary core of the Saviour

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	20. The Secondary Core

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Nero reached the top level, seeing the massive secondary core of the Saviour. And tied up within it was his twin sister. Nero headed towards her, but something stepped out in front of her, stopping him. Sanctus was holding the Linkin sword, his image demonised by the power of both the sword and Saviour. Horns had grown from his head, while wings similar to the Saviour's had grown out of his back. His eyes were black; there was black ooze on his back, while his body was covered in a red glow

"You finally made it," Sanctus said, facing Nero, "To be honest, I wasn't expecting you to make it at all"

Celeste disappeared back into the core

"If you had a much better defence system, then yeah I guess so," Nero said

"Even though you're now here, do you really think you can stop the power of the Saviour?" Sanctus asked

"I intend to stop it completely," Nero answered, "And I think I can. See, I've got some help on the outside there and I'm sure I'm more than a match for you"

Sanctus chuckled

"Do you believe in that, boy?"

"Do you want to find out, chicken wings?"

Sanctus growled, as Linkin began glowing, along with his body. Nero got ready, as Sanctus fired a beam of energy. Nero sliced with Yamato, causing an explosion, as Sanctus suddenly appeared behind him. Nero leapt out of the way, as Sanctus grinned

"Then let's find out"

"I couldn't agree more"

"Repent!"

A fissure shot towards Nero. He leapt over it, as Sanctus shot several fireballs at him. Nero smacked them aside, before shooting towards Sanctus and slashing at him with Yamato and the Red Queen. A shield had appeared around Sanctus, as he created a rain of energy. Nero hit the ground hard and quickly rolled out of the way when two fissures raced towards him. Sanctus floated overhead, shooting down a bolt of energy. Nero backflipped and fired several rounds from the Blue Rose, before leaping up

Sanctus slashed at him with Linkin, but Nero blocked and flipped over the blade, before slamming both swords against the shield, shattering it and dropping Sanctus to the ground. Sanctus swung Linkin, but Nero landed and blocked, before uppercutting Sanctus with his Devil Bringer, then punching him through the air and slamming him against the wall. Sanctus sank into the ground, before reappearing behind Nero, shooting a bolt of energy. Nero skidded along the ground, before swiftly getting up

"You will fail!" Sanctus said

He created another rain of energy, before flying down and clashing blades with Nero. The son of Sparda proved to be the better fighter, as he overwhelmed Sanctus with his excellent skill of the sword. Sanctus flew back into the air, as Nero leapt up at him. Sanctus shot several fireballs, before disappearing. Nero killed his momentum through the air and landed, as Sanctus appeared before him, a large red glow covering him. Nero raised an eyebrow, as Sanctus suddenly shot towards him, Linkin outstretched. Nero blocked the blow, but was flung through the air, slamming against the wall and slumping to the ground

"You seemed to have taken in a lot of demonic power," Nero said as he got up, "It's taken over you, corrupted you. Soon, you won't be able to handle it and it will destroy you"

"I highly doubt that," Sanctus said, "I am in complete control of this power"

"You won't be for long"

"Shut up and repent!"

Nero leapt over the double fissures, swinging Yamato, followed by the revved-up Red Queen. Flames lunged from the blade, clashing against Sanctus' shield and destroying it, as Sanctus shot towards Nero, covered in the red glow again. Nero Devil Triggered, striking Sanctus with an energy-covered Yamato, slashing into his body along with the revved-up Red Queen, as phantom swords appeared and pierced Sanctus' body. Nero then uppercutted Sanctus and slammed him into the wall with his Devil Bringer, before throwing several dark swords and a light spear into his torso. Sanctus growled and swung Linkin, but Nero slammed him with the Devil Bringer again

"No! I have the power," Sanctus cried, "The power of the Saviour. It belongs to me!"

"Like I said, you may have the power, but you can't hope to control it," Nero said

Celeste appeared in the core, as Sanctus held Linkin to her throat

"Don't even think it," he said

Nero smiled and flung Yamato through the air. Sanctus paused, allowing Nero to grab him with the Devil Bringer and crush him against the wall, before rushing forward, snatching Yamato out of the air, slashing several times and whirling around, as Sanctus fell forward. Nero reversed Yamato and drove it through Sanctus' chest, as Celeste fell forward, cut from her bonds. Nero caught her, before taking Yamato back out of Sanctus, as his body melted into the Saviour

"Took your time," Celeste said

"Come on, let's get out of here," Nero said, taking Linkin

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Dante flipped over the massive fist, before shooting forward, firing away with his handguns, as Jenny landed on the Saviour's shoulder and began attacking with Rebellion. The Saviour swiped at her, as she flew back towards a platform, as Trish fired several bolts of lightning. The Saviour lashed out at her, throwing several orbs of energy, as Dante used Lucifer, shooting an array of swords, before causing them to explode with the rose, as the Saviour unleashed a massive blast of energy. Dante leapt out of the way, falling towards the ground. He landed on his feet, before swinging Sparda, the energy flying off the blade and slicing one of the Saviour's horns off. It broke apart as it fell away. The Saviour clutched at Its head, before throwing energy balls at Dante. Jenny shot at the Saviour, as several White Knights appeared around her, initiating a fight with her, as Trish joined her side

"Come on there, ugly, show me what you've got," Dante said

The Saviour drew back Its fist, as Dante grinned. The fist rocketed towards Dante and slammed into him, a cloud of dust springing up around the half-demon. However, when the dust cleared, Dante was unharmed, having drawn Sparda and used it as a shield against the Saviour's fist. The Saviour then seized, frozen in position, as Dante stepped back, Its fist resting on the ground, as Nero and Celeste came bursting out of the jewel in the Saviour's forehead. They landed, as the Saviour fell over

"Nice of you to drop in," Dante said

Trish and Jenny landed on the ground and joined in the fight against the demons, as Nero handed Yamato over to Dante, who sheathed it, as Celeste took back Linkin

"Nice to see you as well, Celeste," Dante said, "Can't imagine it would have been fun in there, right?"

"You have no idea," Celeste said

Just then, the Saviour once up, Its face having changed to that similar of Sanctus', as Jester and Tristan appeared atop the Saviour's head. Jester waved, before taking off into the air, followed by a transformed Tristan

"Damn," Dante said, as he watched them go

"Go after them," Nero said, "We'll take care of things here"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course we are. We can handle it," Celeste said, "Take this"

She drew Linkin and handed it to Dante, who gave her a look, before accepting the weapon, as Nero clapped him on the shoulder

"We'll be there as soon as we take care of this guy," he said

"No," Dante said, "I'm doing this one alone"

"Dante!" said Celeste

"I can handle it. I need to do this one on my own"

"Okay then," Nero said, "Go"

Dante gave his siblings a small smile, before heading off in the direction of Jester and Tristan, as the False Saviour roared and swung His fist. Nero and Celeste moved out of the way, drawing their handguns and standing back-to-back

"Doesn't this look familiar?" Nero said

Celeste smiled, as energy began channelling into her handguns, as the Blue Rose glowed a bright red. The False Saviour roared and swung His fist again

"Jackpot!" Nero and Celeste said at the same time

The demonic bullets slammed into the Saviour's face, causing an explosion and destroying most of His head. The Saviour was thrown back by the gunshots, as His body began crumbling away into dust, fading away completely before He hit the ground, as Nero drew the Red Queen

"Well, time to clean this place up"

"Agreed," Celeste said, drawing her Dragon Blades

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	21. Father vs Son

**Yeah, this story is drawing to a close. Only a few chapters to go and then it's all done. However, this series will continue. I have planned a fifth and a sixth Sons of Sparda, if you guys are interested. Will Vergil reappear? Guess you'll have to find out lol. Anyway, as with the Angel Bringer, I wasn't sure about powers for the weapon. While it sounds cool and all, the powers were the hard part and I couldn't figure out to work it in. That said, if I can come up with some awesome powers, it might make an appearance in SoS5. Excalibur? No, no appearance yet, but possibly in SoS5. Anyhow, on with the story. Enjoy**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

CRASH!!

Dante smashed through the stain glass window, entering the massive whitewashed room and began falling through the air near the wall, as a group of Bloodgoyles and Goatlings flew up to greet him. Drawing Ebony and Ivory, Dante fired away at them, flipping over straight, as his feet planted against the wall. Dante continued shooting at the demons, firing over his shoulders, before whirling around and leaping off the wall

More demons flew at him, but he shot them down, twisting and turning stylishly through the air, performing a variety of flips and gun fu moves, before landing feet first on the ground, spent cartridges and demon bodies falling around him. Rising up, Dante holstered his handguns, before drawing Sparda and Linkin

"Impressive," Jester said, watching from his throne across the room, "Most impressive. I doubt I could have done anything like that"

"Trust me, after this, you won't be doing anything at all," Dante said with a smile

He swung Sparda, then Linkin, the energy shooting towards Jester. He leapt off his throne, as it was sliced into four parts. Jester rolled his eyes and sat down on the floor, as Tristan moved forward, Vengeance drawn and ready

"Now this is gonna be interesting," Jester said, "Who will win this one? Oh wait, last time it was Tristan who won. Why did I even ask?"

"You really think Tristan is stronger than me?" Dante asked

Jester shrugged

"Guess we'll just have to find out, won't we?"

Dante turned to his son

"Come on, son, let's see if Jester is right or wrong"

"The final outcome is never known until the battle is fought," Tristan said

He strode towards his father and swung Vengeance. Dante blocked with Linkin, before kicking Tristan in the chest. The younger half-demon slashed wide, but Dante leapt over the blade, kicking Tristan in the face. He regained his composure and slashed again, as Dante blocked, whirling around and striking him with his elbow

"So, you've gotten a lot quicker, huh?" Tristan asked, "Doesn't mean a thing"

"No, I suppose not," Dante said, "But this might"

He kicked Tristan back, before doing a whirling double slash that threw Tristan through the air. He quickly got to his feet, as Dante slashed with Sparda. Tristan leapt out of the way of slashing energy, before firing a blast of energy from his own sword. Dante stepped back and blocked Tristan's strike, before sidestepping and slashing twice. Tristan dodged and went to strike, but Dante kicked him back. Growling, Tristan summoned Anubis and began attacking

Dante backed up to the wall, blocking and defending Tristan's moves, before leaping up onto the wall. Tristan leapt up after him, as Dante flipped away from his strike and did a dual Stinger. Tristan struck the ground and flipped back onto his feet, out of the way of Sparda and Linkin as they impaled the floor. Tristan kicked Dante in the face, before slashing. Dante ducked, as the blade sliced through the wall, before sweeping Tristan's legs out and walking away from him

A barrier appeared in front of Dante, as several large balls shot towards him. Dante whirled around, slashing with both legendary swords and destroying the orbs, as Tristan flew at him, slashing wide. Dante blocked, as Tristan fired an energy orb, slamming him against the barrier, before slashing. Dante ducked, as Vengeance sliced through the barrier. Tristan drove his knee into Dante's face, following up with a double kick that knocked Dante onto his back. He quickly shot to his feet, blocking and defending Tristan's moves, before doing the Air Trick and reappearing behind Tristan, kicking him forward onto his face

"Dammit, you will not win this one either," Tristan growled as he got up

"You think it's always about winning or losing?" Dante asked, "It's about doing what's right, son"

Tristan swung Vengeance, but Dante blocked and struck him down. Tristan looked up at his father, as both legendary swords started glowing red. Growling, Tristan swept at Dante's legs, but he jumped out of the way, before getting to his feet and attacking furiously, his eyes glowing red. Dante blocked or dodged each move, before unleashing the energy in Sparda and Linkin, blasting Tristan through the air and slamming him against the wall. A massive crack had appeared, as Tristan fell to the ground, knocked out cold

"Well, that was an interesting fight," Jester said as he got up, "Looks like you are the better warrior, Dante. Thought I must say, I'm disappointed it ended so quickly"

"I just wanted him out of the way," Dante said, "You're the one I want to fight"

"Is that so? Now I feel very special"

"Come on over here and let's finish this," Dante growled

Jester smiled, drawing both broadswords and practising with them almost lazily

"If you wish"

And with that, he suddenly shot towards Dante at surprising speed

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Jenny impaled ten demons with Kraken, before slamming them into the ground and throwing them through the air, as Trish shocked a Basilisk, firing its skull into a Scarecrow, before slicing the Basilisk apart. Nero lunged forth with his Ex-Streaker move, taking out five demons, as an Abyss Goat fired several projectiles. Kyrie countered with several of her own, before casting a constricting spell on the demon

Lili slashed a Fetish into the air, before slicing it in half as it fell. A Blade leapt at her, but she kicked the demon down, before impaling it, then slicing a Goatling in half, whirling around and slashing a Nobody several times. Lady ducked under a Pride's scythe, shooting it in the head, before dodging a Lust's scythe and shooting it as well. A Hell Vanguard appeared, cackling madly, before lunging at Lady, swinging its large scythe. Lady smiled and fired Kalina Ann at it, taking out several Scarecrows along with the Vanguard

Celeste tore into a pair of Jomothumsiras, before battling against a Plutonian, as Michael took on the Tartarussian that had appeared beside it, while Parker, Leon and David were standing in a tight-knit circle, shooting apart any demons that came close, as an assault helicopter arrived, ripping into the demons with its machine-gun fire. Leon motioned to the others and they fought their way out of the fray, as the helicopter took care of the demons, blasting them apart with machine-guns and rocket launchers, aided by Ada, who was holstered inside as she fired away with her RPG

When the demons had all been destroyed and no more were coming, the helicopter landed, dispelling Ada and Amber, as they headed over to Leon and Parker

"So, what's next?" Trish asked

"I think we'll head out and find any more demons," Nero answered

"Where's Dante?"

"He's gone to take care of some unfinished business," Celeste replied, "And he wants to take care of it himself"

"Excuse me?" Trish said, "He's gone to battle against Jester. Last time I checked, didn't he put Vergil into a frigging coma?"

"Yeah, he did, but Dante insisted on doing it alone," Nero said, "He doesn't want any help with it. Says he can handle it. Besides, he's got Sparda and Linkin with him"

Trish growled under her breath, before turning around and walking off

"Fine. Let's leave Dante to it. Come on, we'll find some more demons to vent our, or at _my_, frustrations upon"

Nero and Celeste gave each other worried looks, before heading off after Trish

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Dante blocked and whirled around, slashing wide, as Jester ducked, before slamming his elbow into his jaw. Dante recovered quickly to block Jester's strike, before slashing rapidly several times. Jester blocked a few blows, before leaping out of the way, as Dante ran after him. Jester laughed and created the massive rolling clown ball, standing atop the object and rolling it around the room, chasing after Dante. He leapt through the air, shooting away with Ebony and Ivory, but Jester was protected by a shield, as the ball disappeared and he landed, drawing his broadswords

"Doing good, Dante," Jester grinned, "Much better than I expected"

"What say we wrap this up quick smart?" Dante asked

"Very well then"

Dante lunged at Jester, attacking with an array of stylish moves, but Jester was able to block or dodge each one, before kicking Dante in the chest, throwing him against the wall, then lunging and slashing. Dante rolled out of the way, as Jester struck him with a large orb of energy. The swords went flying from Dante's hands, as he got to his feet, whirling around and drawing Yamato. Jester leapt over the flying slash and kicked Dante down, before impaling both swords beside his head and landing with his knee upon his chest, winding him. Jester grinned as he grabbed Dante by his shirt and drew back his fist

"I'm disappointed, Dante," Jester said, punching him, "I expected much better"

BANG!

Jester was blasted through the air, struck by a hardened ball of lava. Dante got to his feet and turned around, his jaw dropping open in surprise

"Vergil?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	22. Fire & Lightning: Unfinished Business

**Yes, Vergil is the one who defeated the Blitz demon and Berial. This chapter will explain how he managed to do just that**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_Please, Vergil, get better. Hell, even wake up. We need you here. I need you here. Lili needs you here," Lady said_

_She kissed his hand, before getting up and kissing his cheek. She began walking away, looking once last time over her shoulder, before leaving the room and preparing to head home. Just as she left the room, Vergil's eyes shot open_

"_Lady?" he asked groggily_

_Lady whirled around and rushed to his side, clasping his hand_

"_Oh thank God, you're awake"_

"_I feel very sore"_

"_Yeah, you're broken all over"_

"_So why aren't I healing?"_

"_Jester's put something in you"_

_Vergil closed his eyes, feeling with his demonic power for the object. Once he found it, he braced himself for the pain and tore the stone out of his body, right in front of a horrified Lady. Blood starting running everywhere, as Vergil tossed the stone aside_

"_Why did you do that for?" Lady demanded_

"_Lady, head home and get me my Nelo Angelo armour," Vergil said_

"_But…why?"_

"_Lady, please, just do it. I'll explain later"_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Vergil?" Dante said, getting to his feet

Vergil looked completely healed. He was wearing his Nelo Angelo armour, which had a blue line of energy running along the spine beneath the royal purple cape, while a large sword wreathed in flames rested on his back

"You're healed?" Dante said

"Not quite, but I will be," Vergil said, "In time"

Jester groaned and got up, before spying Vergil

"But you're in a coma"

"I was. I found your little spell and got rid of it"

"In that case then, you should still have a broken back!"

Vergil grinned

"Surely there must be some spells that will allow me to move about while my spine heals," he said, drawing the Hellebore, "You don't mind if I take that?" he asked Dante

Dante shrugged and handed him Yamato, which he tied to his waist, as Dante picked up Sparda and Linkin, as Tristan stirred and woke up, getting to his feet and grabbing Vengeance, as a look of shock crossed his face when he saw Vergil

"Jester put you in a coma!"

"Well, I woke up from it," Vergil said, "Duh"

"So, just like old times, huh?" Dante said

"Just like old times," his twin agreed

"You two aren't enough to battle us," Jester said, "I have bested the both of you on separate occasions"

"Yeah, but what about at the same time?" Dante asked, "Thirty years ago, we kicked your ass to Hell. Reckon that's changed over the years?"

"I guess we'll have to see," Jester said, "Won't we?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_"Are you sure about this?" Lady asked_

_Vergil placed one hand on the Nelo Angelo armour, before channelling his demonic energy into the suit. It was absorbed into his body, before reappearing on his body, as a blue line of energy appeared on his spine. Vergil stretched his arms, before getting out of bed, as Lady's jaw dropped_

"_You can walk?"_

"_Yeah and a lot of other things," Vergil said, "I've made it so I can walk, while at the same time, my spine is protected as it heals"_

"_What if you have to bend over?" Lady asked_

_Vergil shrugged and did it, without any signs of pain, as he straightened_

"_No problems"_

_He drew Lady into a hug and pressed a small kiss to his head_

"_Please don't tell anyone about this. I wanna keep it a secret," he said, "If they ask, tell them I'm still in a coma"_

_Lady nodded, before giving him a kiss and leaving the room with him_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Vergil dodged Jester's swords, before blocking Tristan's slash and pushing him back, as Dante stopped Jester's continuing attack. Jester kicked him in the chest, as Vergil kicked him in the back, before swinging the Hellebore. Tristan went to attack, but was stopped by Dante, who slashed, spinning around and kicking him back, as Jester blocked Vergil, striking him in the jaw, as Dante stepped in and parried his blow, allowing Vergil to step back and dodge Tristan's Stinger, slamming the Hellebore into the ground and firing a jet of flames that knocked Tristan across the room

"Putting up an interesting fight here, yeah?" Jester said

Vergil punched him in the face

"What was that for?" Jester demanded, "You want me to kiss your boo-boo?"

Vergil punched him again, followed by a second punch to the stomach

"Kiss this"

He drove his knee into Jester's face, spraying blood, before whirling around and swinging the Hellebore. Jester jumped over the blade, as Dante shot up and kicked him to the ground, before landing and blocking Tristan's strike. Tristan did a triple-slashing move, but Dante blocked each move, before doing a dual Stinger, blasting him back, as Vergil struck Jester with the Judgement Cut move, slamming him against the wall, as Dante joined his side

"Come on, you're making this way too easy," he said

Jester got to his feet, wiping the blood away from his mouth, as Tristan also got up, clenching Vengeance tightly, as Dante and Vergil readied themselves

"Too easy, huh?" Jester asked, "Fine, let's see how you'll like this"

With a wave of his hand, he opened a large, angry-red portal, as black lightning crackled along the edges of it, lashing out every now and again. Jester smiled, as Dante and Vergil fought against the pull of the portal

"The one true Hell Gate," Jester said, "Not like any of the imitations around this place and definitely not like the one under the Cathedral"

"So how were we able to destroy the Saviour?" Dante asked

"This Hell Gate's power wasn't connected to the Saviour," Jester answered, "So, will this portal now make things interesting?"

"Bring it!" Vergil growled

Jester smiled and lunged, as Tristan did the same. The twin sons of Sparda battled against the pair equally, alternating opponents and fighting together in like a tag-team as they fought Tristan and Jester, while battling against the pull of the portal as it threatened to suck them in. Parts of the room were getting torn up and suck into the portal, as Dante blasted Tristan away with a dual Stinger and Vergil struck Jester down with the Hellebore. Jester went to strike, but Vergil drew Yamato, slicing his arm off, as Dante disarmed Tristan and knocked him back

"How do we close the portal?" Vergil asked

"With the blood of Sparda of course," Jester said grimacing, "That said, it would require a lot of blood. Maybe possible death to close it"

"And that will be you two," Tristan growled

He grabbed Vengeance and lunged at Dante, who swung both Sparda and Linkin, throwing him towards the portal. Tristan hit the floor near the portal and was struggling to escape its hold, as Dante leapt forward, grabbing hold of his hand, just as the portal sucked them both through

"Looks like we get some alone time at last," Vergil said, "And there's some stuff that I wanna say to you"

Jester gulped, as Vergil summoned the Blitz armour and slugged him in the face

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	23. Falling into Hell: The Final Battle

**About Dante's age. Working it out from the games and continuing on with this series, Dante and the others are about 50 years old, give or take. Tristan and Jenny are 19, Lili is 18, Michael 17, Cameron 15, Spencer 13, Evelyn 12. Parker is 21, while his sister Amber is 18. Just one more chapter to go after this one**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Tristan broke away from Dante and slashed, as Dante blocked with both swords, father and son falling into the depths of hell. Tortured souls and torture demons flew through the air, oblivious to the pair as they battled each other while free falling. Sparks flew from their swords as they continued their fight, before landing on a platform feet first, their force badly cracking the rock platform

Tristan lunged and slammed Vengeance against Sparda, as the platform gave way, sending them through the air again. They landed on another platform, with Dante blocking Tristan's strike and kicking him back. Tristan got up, as they began circling each other, ready for the right moment

"You know, I never hated you, Dad," Tristan said

"Well, that's a relief," Dante said, "So, what's the go then?"

"I just hated what you did. You have all this power flowing through your veins, yet you are content with using that power to protect the weak human beings"

"When you put it that way," Dante said, "And let me guess. As you grew up, Jester told you that demons should rule over humans because humans are weaker?"

"Something like that"

"Son, Vergil was like that when he was young. Look at him now. He's happily married to a human, with a child. He changed his ways; saw that not all things were black and white. Same can go for you. And I can help you"

"Sorry, Dad, but I don't need any help"

"Are you sure about that?" Dante asked, flexing Linkin

"Pretty sure," Tristan answered

He leapt through the air and brought Vengeance down overhead. Dante stepped back as the blade slammed into the ground, before stepping on the blade and flipping over Tristan, who whirled around and slashed. Dante turned and blocked, as Tristan advanced with a series of moves. Dante blocked, dodged or parried each move, before doing a dual Dance Macabre. Tristan couldn't keep up and hit the ground hard, blood dripping down his chest. It touched the ground, causing the whole realm to shudder and shake, as if an earthquake was happening. Dante looked up at the portal so far away, before looking back at his son

"Oops, spilt a little blood," Tristan said, "Looks like the portal's gonna close. You don't have much time, Dad, so what are you gonna do?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out," Dante said

"Okay then. I'll find out"

Tristan lunged at Dante, clashing their swords together

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Jester slammed against the wall, electricity coursing through his body, as Vergil flexed his fingers, the facemask gone. Jester got up, but Vergil shot the blades out, before shooting a beam of electrical energy, slamming Jester against the wall again

"Okay, okay, time out, alright?" Jester said, getting up

"I don't know what that means," Vergil said

Jester grinned and disappeared. Vergil whirled around and scored a punch to the face, as Jester's severed arm regrew. He smiled, flexing his regrown fingers, as the facemask appeared on Vergil and he got into a stance

"So, you looking to play, huh?" he asked, "Well then, we'll play"

Jester swung his fist. Vergil blocked and swung his fist, but Jester blocked, punching him in the chest. Vergil slugged him in the jaw, as Jester dropped and swept. Vergil jumped over his leg, as Jester rose up and uppercutted him. Vergil recovered quickly enough to block Jester's high kick, before grabbing his leg and slamming him face-first into the ground. Jester groaned, as Vergil then threw him through the air

Jester rolled onto his feet, as Vergil appeared before him in a flash of lightning, before slamming his fist into his chest, as the blades popped out and delivered an electrical charge, blasting Jester through the air. He twisted his body and landed gracefully on his feet, as Vergil charged at him at lightning speed

Jester caught him and threw him into the ground, as Vergil kicked him in the face, before flipping onto his feet and turning around, delivering a back kick. Jester blocked his kick and moved in, punching him in the jaw and grimacing when his new fingers slammed against the electrified metal. Vergil smiled behind the mask and delivered two swift punches, followed up by a series of rapid kicks to the midsection and finishing it off with the Rising Sun technique, launching Jester into the air

Jester held his hands out, but Vergil drew Yamato swiftly, slashing him twice across the chest, before landing and lunging. Jester quickly created a barrier that Vergil bounced off, before grabbing his broadswords

"You know, it was fun while it lasted, but now I'm just getting bored"

"That's a shame, cause I'm just getting started"

Vergil created a ring of phantom spears, only they had lightning running around them. Jester's face fell, as Vergil launched the spears, impaling Jester on them. He groaned as the spears delivered a series of electrical shockwaves, as Vergil leapt through the air, Hellebore drawn and charged up. Jester raised his broadswords to block the move, but Vergil's Flame Helm Breaker was too powerful, breaking his swords in half, as well as slicing him in half. To finish it off, Vergil then did the Judgement Cut move, slicing Jester up into several small pieces and destroying them with the Hellebore

"There, it's over"

He turned back to the portal and saw that it had gotten smaller

"Although, not just yet"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Dante and Tristan fought each other furiously, sparks flying from their swords, as they moved up the rock wall, trying to make it to the portal before it closed. Dante dodged Vengeance and stabbed with Sparda, but Tristan avoided the blade, stabbing Vengeance into the wall and swinging up, kicking Dante in the chest. He flipped, stopping his flight with Linkin, as Tristan leapt up at him. Dante blocked his move and flipped over him, kicking him into the wall, before leaping up and slashing twice

Tristan whirled around and blocked, before throwing himself up higher and transforming, spreading his wings wide and flying at Dante. He dodged Tristan and leapt up, landing on a small cliff, as Tristan flew back up and landed, resuming his human form, as they continued their fight. Dante did a dual Stinger, but Tristan trapped the blades under his arms, before delivering a double kick to Dante's chest

Dante recovered in time to prevent Tristan's next move, elbowing him in the jaw, before leaping off the cliff and transforming into his Majin form. Spreading his two pairs of wings, Dante shot towards the portal, as Tristan transformed and flew after him, firing balls of energy. Dante flew backwards, slicing the energy balls apart, as well as shooting fireballs at his son. Tristan flew around the fireballs, as they got nearer to the portal, which had shrunk a lot

"Don't you dare try and leave me here," Tristan growled

"Son, I wouldn't do a thing like that," Dante said

Tristan shot towards his father and swung a charged-up Vengeance upwards, as Dante brought both Sparda and Linkin down overhead. Blood was sprayed, as the portal closed up. Dante struck the floor hard, having resumed his human form, while Tristan was lying next to him, unconscious and in his human form as well

"You made it," Vergil said

"Yeah, we did," Dante agreed, "Now it's all over"

"So, now what?"

"What we always do after a massive demon attack. We clean up the place"

"What are you going to do about Tristan?" Vergil asked

Dante grunted as he picked his son up onto his shoulders, as Vergil picked up Vengeance and Linkin, before joining his twin outside

"Well, for starters, we need to knock some sense into his head," Dante answered, "And I think I know the right place for that"

"So, some mental healing for the boy. Sounds about right. I would need it too if I had to grow up with Jester"

"Instead, you married his daughter"

"Shut up"

"Come on, bro, let's meet up with the others"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	24. Training in Tibet

**Yes, there will be a sequel if you are interested. This chapter is short, but it hopefully finishes this story off. I don't know if it ends with a bang, I'll leave it up to you to decide. But hopefully, I've done alright with this ending chapter. And thanks for all the reviews!! :)**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Nine months later…_

"How's my ladies?" Dante asked, stepping through the air

Trish raised an eyebrow at him, as she continued making up the bottles

"Come on, aren't you a little happy at seeing me again?"

"Course she is," Jenny said, "She's just a little cranky from being up most of the night"

"Simply because you took off for a round of demon hunting," Trish said

"Sorry"

"So, how are they going anyway?" Dante asked

"Well, most nights they're quiet," Trish answered, "It's the nights where they're not quiet, that's the fun ones. At least they're better behaved than Jenny and Tristan"

"Hey," Jenny protested

"How is Tristan going by the way?" Trish asked

"Doing good. He's doing a lot better now," Dante answered, "I wanna see them. I kinda popped over just to see them"

He headed upstairs and to his bedroom, before heading over to the twin bassinets, where his newborn son and daughter were sleeping. They had been born two months ago, which Dante had made the trip to see, after making sure that Tristan would be fine. He turned around to see Trish leaning in the doorway

"So, when are you coming back permanently?" she asked

"As soon as Tristan is better," he replied

"I'm guessing that will take a while?"

"Yeah, it will. He's really messed up, so it'll take some time to heal him"

"But he'll be good at the end of it?"

"Yeah, he'll be good. That's what I'm hoping for and I know it'll all work out"

"Good"

Dante turned back to the bassinet, as his son started to stir. He smiled as he picked young Ash up, cradling him to his chest, as baby Caitlyn also began to stir. Trish headed over and picked her up, singing a soft lullaby to calm her down. Dante smiled at his wife, as they shared a quick kiss

"Ew, gross. Get a room"  
Dante broke away from Trish and smiled at Jenny, who was leaning in the doorway. He headed over to her and placed Ash in her arms, before ruffling her hair

"Dad!"

"Sorry, kiddo. I've gotta go now"

"To make sure that Tristan will be a good boy?"

"Yeah"

Dante placed a small kiss on Jenny's head, as well as one of Ash's, before giving both Trish and Caitlyn a kiss each and heading out the door

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Good, good. You're getting better"

Tristan slashed at his throat, but Dante deflected the move, as Tristan whirled around and slashed wide. Blocking the move, Dante spun inwards, slicing high. Tristan ducked under the blade and swept, but Dante jumped over his legs, before stepping back, as Tristan also did the same

"You're getting a lot better," Dante said

"Thanks," Tristan smiled

"Don't worry, in due time, you'll be as good as me"

"Yeah, just gotta give it time"

"Come on, let's head inside. Time for some magical healing"

"Yeah okay"

The pair sheathed their swords, before heading into the monastery, where they had been training at for the last nine months. Soon after the battle with Jester, the clean up started…again. It took some time before part of the city was repaired due to the Saviour's massive energy beams. Vergil's back had healed completely within two months, while Celeste had fallen pregnant with her second son and was due to give birth in a few months time. Dante, in the meantime, had taken Tristan to a monastery in Tibet, where the monks there had performed a variety of healing spells to clear Tristan's clouded mind. He also took part in the daily rituals, hoping to repent for what he had done, as well as doing training with his father, learning to become a better warrior and fighting against the demons that populated the Tibetan mountains

Dante watched as his son headed towards the room where the monks were performing the healing spells. He knew it would be a long time before Tristan would be completely healed, but he knew it would happen eventually. All Tristan really needed was time and that was something that he had. Dante smiled to himself. Hopefully, everything would turn out for the better

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


End file.
